A Wrongful Death Claim Possible After Passenger Dies In Crash
Three people were seriously injured in a car crash during the early hours of a recent Thursday morning in the final week of July. The three young men were traveling together during the early hours of the morning when the driver lost control of his Honda. Reports about the accident were received at approximately 1:30 a.m. by authorities. The front passenger, a 20-year-old New Jersey man, passed away at about 2:40 a.m. at a medical center in the area. His death may lead to awrongful death claim.
According to reports, after the car’s driver lost control, the driver traveled for about 1400 feet, hit two bus stop signs, then moved onto the wrong side of the road, traveled against the flow of traffic, crossed the median again and finally crashed into the office building. Both the car’s driver and the second passenger, another 20-year-old man, suffered serious injuries and were taken to medical centers in the area. A number of roads had to be closed after the accident.
The car crash is still being investigated and it is not yet clear what led to the driver’s loss of control over the vehicle. However, should it emerge that the car’s driver acted negligently in any way, the family of the deceased may choose to file a wrongful death claim against the driver. Furthermore, the seriously injured passenger may choose to file a personal injury claim against the driver, as well.
In New Jersey, successful wrongful death and personal injury claims may lead to the award of damages should the evidence prove that the negligent action of a driver was the root cause of an accident. Damages awarded in a wrongful death claim may assist the family of the deceased in covering unexpected costs, such as funeral and burial costs arising from the accident. Damages awarded in a personal injury claim may provide the financial aid needed by the victim to recover from the impact such an accident may have.
Source: nj.com, “20-year-old Fort Lee man killed after car slams into Ridgefield building“, Kathryn Brenzel, July 24, 2014