Police reported that a crash that occurred on Oct. 11 in Bluff City resulted in the death of one driver. According to authorities, the collision occurred at an intersection in front of a flea market on U.S. Highway 11E.
The accident reportedly occurred around 11:30 a.m. According to police, a male driver was pulling out from the flea market when his pickup truck was struck on the side by a woman driving on the highway. Emergency personnel found both vehicles in the median when they arrived.
The man was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries he had allegedly received in the accident. The woman had to be extricated from her car by emergency personnel. She was also transported to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Law enforcement were still investigating accident two days after its occurrence. There was no word on whether speed, alcohol or distracted driving may have been involved.
When people die or are seriously injured in a car accident, they or their loved ones may be able to recover damages by filing a civil lawsuit in the form of a personal injury or wrongful death claim. When one of the drivers involved in an accident was killed, as in this case, the other party may still be able to recover damages for injuries from the decedent’s estate if it is proven that the decedent was liable. In the event that a person wrongfully kills another through negligent driving, he or she may be civilly liable to the deceased person’s family for the losses they suffered. In either case, negligent drivers can be held responsible to pay both economic and non-economic damages. If the case is especially egregious, punitive damages may also be recoverable.
Source: TriCities.com, “One killed in Bluff City crash“, October 13, 2014