A trial stemming from a 2013 collision that involved an alleged wrong-way driver commenced on Nov. 17 in a Circuit Court in Clarksville. The 2013 accident occurred on May 13 at approximately 7 a.m., authorities reported. A Tennessee woman is facing several charges in connection with the incident, including DUI, reckless endangerment and vehicular assault.
Prosecutors allege that the Tennessee woman crossed the center lane on Highway 48 in Montgomery County in her S-10 pickup truck and hit a Chevrolet vehicle head-on. Moreover, prosecutors accuse the woman of taking the prescription painkiller Oxycontin prior to the incident. The two women in the Chevrolet vehicle were seriously injured as a result of the wreck, reportedly.
According to an eyewitness, the pickup truck’s brakes were never applied at any point leading up to the collision. The eyewitness also stated that the Tennessee woman gave off the impression of being impaired in the aftermath of the accident, by her ‘mannerisms” and ‘how she was acting.”
The Tennessee woman’s defense attorney says that the woman was prescribed the Oxycontin and that the crash was a tragic accident and not a crime. The defense claims that the case should be a civil matter and not a criminal case.
In a car accident like this one, the injured individuals may wish to bring a civil suit against the person they deem responsible for the wreck, no matter the resolution of any criminal charges that may have been filed in relation to the incident. To prevail in a personal injury lawsuit, accident victims and their legal counsel would have to show with a preponderance of evidence that the defendant’s negligence contributed to the event.
Source: The Leaf-Chronicle , “Trial begins in wreck that hurt MCHS cheerleaders“, Tavia D. Green, November 17, 2014