Traffic lights and speed limits are in place for several reasons. One of those reasons is to prevent serious injury or death to those who use the roadways. Drivers who choose to ignore such safety measures risk causing a collision that could jeopardize the lives of others. For example, a recent accident in North Carolina that took the life of four people was allegedly caused by a man who apparently failed to follow basic safety measures.
The accident happened in mid-February. During the late afternoon, a 24-year-old was driving a sedan containing two passengers. Police reports indicate that the car was traveling approximately 100 mph when it ran a traffic light. Apparently, the sedan then struck a sports utility vehicle driven by a 30-year-old woman and containing an infant.
Unfortunately, the infant was the only occupant of either of the two vehicles who survived the accident. The child was transferred to an area hospital, but is expected to survive. Reports indicate that the driver of the SUV was the infant’s mother.
Most families who have experienced the loss of a loved one in such a tragic and senseless manner know the emotions that come with it. Due to one man’s alleged recklessness, a young child will have to experience life without a mother as a result of the deadly collision. In order to protect the financial future of the infant, the mother’s surviving family members have the option of filing a wrongful death case in a North Carolina civil court. If they can prove that the accident was caused by the man’s negligence, the court could award monetary damages related to the woman’s death and the child’s injuries. The families of the deceased passengers in the sedan have the same option.
Source: The Daily News, Update: Four victims’ names released in deadly wreck, Michael Todd and Katie Hansen, Feb. 16, 2014