Vehicle wrecks happen every day on Tennessee roads and some of them result in serious injuries and death. Many of these fatal accidents are avoidable. Any time a crash causes the death of a driver or passenger in a vehicle, police investigate the scene to determine the cause of the accident. This information is later used to determine liability. If negligence such as drunk driving is found to have contributed to the wreck, the incident could become a wrongful death case.
A jury has found a 21-year-old man guilty of vehicular homicide in Tennessee. The ruling comes after a 2012 drunk driving accident involving the driver and his best friend as a passenger. The two were riding together when the car left the road and collided with a metal sign pole. The passenger of the vehicle was killed in the accident.
The driver cited mechanical troubles as the cause of the car accident, though police reports suggest other factors were involved. A blood alcohol test showed that the driver was indeed under the influence of alcohol and, therefore, too impaired to drive. In addition, the police officer who investigated the crash estimated that the car was traveling at 91 MPH when the driver attempted to brake going into a turn.
In a wrongful death case, the family of a victim might be entitled to financial compensation to help them with medical bills and funeral expenses, as well as to help cope with pain and suffering. Families who find themselves in this position may obtain counsel to assist them with the legal process of a wrongful death lawsuit. Doing so will never bring a loved one back, but perhaps it can provide some relief through financial retribution.
Source: Johnson City Press, “UPDATE: Carter jury finds driver guilty of vehicular homicide in 2012,” John Thompson, March 27, 2014