According to authorities, a 44-year-old man was driving a U-Haul truck on the highway when he attempted to pass other motorists and struck the front end of a silver Honda. Subsequent to that collision, the U-Haul driver sideswiped another vehicle before colliding head-on with a tan BMW.
Authorities reported that the 44-year-old man died from injuries he suffered during the incident. Moreover, two other drivers involved in the crash, a 49-year-old woman and a 35-year-old woman, died as a result of the incident.
If a preponderance of evidence from this case were to indicate that the fatal accident was caused by a driver’s actionable behavior, then the at-fault driver or the at-fault driver’s estate may be held accountable for the accident in civil court. That is because certain family members of the people who die in accidents caused by negligent or reckless driving may file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver.
In this way, deceased victims’ families may seek financial compensation for the losses they suffered as a result of the fatal accident. These damages may include the expenses associated with the decedent’s funeral service, burial and estate administration. In addition, bereaved family members may seek restitution for lost earnings if the decedent had contributed income to dependents or the family household prior to death.
On account of these high stakes, wrongful death lawsuits are usually adversarial and highly contentious. For this reason, it is important for bereaved family members to retain a wrongful death attorney to represent their case.
WorldNow.com, “3rd person dies after wreck on Highway 1 near Wrens,”June 26, 2014
Source: WRDW, “UPDATE: Third person dies in Jefferson County crash”, June 27, 2014
