Car accidents, by their nature, are seemingly random in nature, happening to distracted and defensive drivers alike. Because the only requirement for an auto accident is a moving motor vehicle, it is impossible to predict when they occur or under what circumstances they occur. It is even less possible to predict whether the outcome of the accident will be a few cuts and bruises, a few broken bones or life-threatening injuries. Even when drivers are following the rules of the road, the risk of an accident is ever-present.
A Missouri bride-to-be who was on her way to her bachelorette party died Friday night after being involved in a head-on collision. The fatal car accident occurred while the bride’s maid of honor was transporting her to the party. According to the maid of honor, they were attempting to pass a truck, whose exhaust fumes were causing the bride complications with her asthma. Although they both checked the lane before passing the truck, when they went to pass, they collided head-on with a truck that was just coming over a hill. Both vehicles served to avoid each other the same way, which resulted in the passenger side of the bride-to-be’s car being struck. The woman, who was wearing her seatbelt, later died at the hospital from her injuries, leaving behind a five-year-old child and her fiancé. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were later released.
Civil cases involving friends and family members are sometimes delicate situations. Although the driver was a friend, any wrongful death case is likely to name both drivers as defendants. And while it may be the insurance provider who ends up paying any judgment against the driver, emotions can take a heavy toll on all involved. In these situations, it is important to remember that a civil lawsuit doesn’t make anyone a criminal or bad person, but is only a means to try and make an injured person or his or her surviving family members whole again.
Car accidents, while random in nature, are often avoidable. It is up to every driver on the road to do his or her part in preventing the pain and suffering that go hand-in-hand with a car accident.
Source: Fox Channel 4 News, “26-year-old Lee’s Summit bride-to-be killed in crash on way to bachelorette party,” Kasey Babbitt and Melissa Stern, June 23, 2014