Car accidents often leave vehicles damaged, people injured and, unfortunately, kill many people each year. When a pedestrian is involved, death is more often a consequence, since they do not have the protection that a vehicle provides. Fatal accidents are truly tragic, but all too common. A recent Tennessee collision left one 21-year-old man dead.

A vehicle driven by a 26-year-old hit the 21-year-old, whose body was found by a pedestrian on his way to work later that morning. Both men were said to be soldiers in the military. After crashing into the pedestrian, the automobile fled the scene of the accident. Police have classified this crash as a hit-and-run homicide that was responsible for the death of the 21-year-old man.

Officials have arrested the 26-year-old driver of the car believed to be responsible for the fatal accident for driving with a license that had been revoked. The driver is facing multiple allegations including driving under the influence, abandoning the scene of the crash and homicide with an automobile. He has been placed into a county jail without bond.

No one wants to be involved in an automobile wreck, especially not one that is fatal. The loss of life in fatal accidents, no matter what age, is incredibly heartbreaking. The family of the soldier who lost his life in this Tennessee accident can file civil claims for wrongful death against the driver. While this young man can no longer serve his country and be there with his family, these claims can at least provide his loved ones with assistance for paying any funeral costs.

Source: Jackson Sun, State briefs: Police make arrest in fatal hit and run; Smyrna man found dead in car on I-24; DCS points to better reporting of deaths, No author, Dec. 15, 2013