DUI Leads To Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

An elderly New Jersey couple was involved in a motor vehicle accident just after 7 p.m. on a recent Sunday evening. The accident happened when a car driven by a 38-year-old female crashed into the elderly couple’s car. The husband and his wife, both in their 70s, were injured in the accident and had to be taken to hospital. The injured wife succumbed to her injuries not long after arriving at the New Jersey hospital, becoming just another statistic of fatal motor vehicle accidents.

The female driver of the car, which crashed into the elderly couple’s vehicle, is now facing a vehicular homicide charge. The 38-year-old woman, who hails from Swedesboro, was allegedly driving under the influence at the time of the accident. She has appeared in court and bail was set in the amount of $100,000.

Little else is known about the accident. It is unclear what caused the female driver to crash into the elderly couple’s car. However, regardless of the outcome in the criminal case, the injured male victim may elect to file a personal injury claim for monetary damages arising from the accident if negligence can be proven. Furthermore, the legal estate of the deceased wife may choose to initiate a wrongful death claim against the female driver.

In New Jersey, the seriously injured victims, as well as surviving families of any victims of fatal motor vehicle accidents, have the potential for legal redress in a civil courtroom. In such a claim, financial damages for wrongful death and personal injury may be awarded upon proper proof of negligence. Should the claim be successful, the victims and their families may find that any money awarded could provide them with some relief as they struggle through an understandably difficult time.

Source: abclocal.go.com, “Alleged DUI driver charged in South Jersey fatal crash“, April 30, 2014