Many vehicular accidents can be avoided, simply by keeping cars and trucks properly maintained. Some car accidents may be attributed to faulty manufacturing and no recall on the parts involved, but some can be the result of owner irresponsibility for improper care of their vehicle. A car accident involving a loose tire resulted in the death of a Georgia pedestrian.
The 22-year-old woman left her house around 9 p.m. to walk her dog. Her family grew concerned when she did not return from a walk that normally took around 20 minutes. When her dog came home without her nearly 45 minutes later, they went to look for her and found her lying on the ground, face-down. Emergency personnel transported her to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced deceased.
Police determined the woman had been hit in the head with a tire from a vehicle that had been traveling on the road at a higher elevation than where she had been walking. They found an abandoned vehicle not far from where they had found the body. The vehicle was missing a tire as well as the complete wheel assembly. They found and arrested the driver of the vehicle, a 25-year-old male, believing he saw the incident but did not report it. So far, he has been charged with failing to report the accident, but more charges may be issued after a thorough inspection of his vehicle.
Should this man be found at fault for not properly maintaining his car, to the point that the tire and assembly were not mounted as tightly as required for safety, his negligence would give the woman’s family the right to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit. An award could be based on such categories as pain and suffering by her family, the income she would have been expected to earn, and funeral and burial expenses. A Georgia attorney is available to speak to families who have lost a loved one in a car accident, to apprise them of their legal options.
