A head-on collision is a highly destructive type of auto accident that can quickly lead to incapacitating injuries and death. North Carolina families who lose loved ones in these types of auto wrecks usually struggle with the emotions of distress and disbelief. They may also become enraged if the accident was not the deceased victim’s fault. Financial restitution from a successfully litigated lawsuit certainly cannot restore the lost life of a loved one, but it can help the surviving family members to feel as though some sense of justice was achieved.
This appears to be the situation for at least one family after an accident in North Carolina. In the accident, a car reportedly crossed the middle line of the road when the driver was attempting to navigate a turn. An oncoming pickup truck was struck. As a result, a married couple, ages 73 and 66, were killed.
A 23-year-old man was the driver who allegedly caused the head-on collision. He suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. Police continued to investigate the cause of the crash.
It is highly probable that people involved in a head-on crash will suffer serious injury or worse. The surviving family of fatal accident victims from auto wrecks has the right to pursue wrongful death claims against the party whose negligence is believed to have caused the accident. To prevail, they will need to establish that some form of negligence, such as speeding or distracted driving, caused the accident and death that resulted. If liability is established to the satisfaction of a North Carolina civil court judge, claims for specific items of financial damage will then be adjudicated.
Source: The Charlotte Observer, Concord couple killed in head-on crash, Steve Lyttle, Dec. 11, 2013