A rollover accident in Tennessee left one woman dead and a man seriously injured on June 15. Police believe that the driver may have been intoxicated at the time of the fatal accident. Reports indicated that felony charges were pending against him.
The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. in Smyrna. The deceased woman, a 26-year-old Murfreesboro woman, was a passenger in a Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a 31-year-old Rockville man. The vehicle was headed west on Interstate 24 when the driver lost control of the SUV near the Almaville Road exit. A Tennessee Highway Patrol report said that the vehicle left the highway and hit the median, leading the driver to overcorrect to get back onto the roadway. The Tahoe overturned as a result, traveling across several lanes on the highway before coming to a stop upright.
The woman was thrown from the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver, who was conscious when emergency crews arrived at the scene but was non-responsive afterward, was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for treatment of serious injuries. His condition was unknown the following day.
People who drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol cause thousands of deaths each year. Surviving relatives of drunk driving victims must often grieve their loved ones while struggling with the costs of medical treatment and funeral expenses. Many families must also arrange to replace the deceased’s contributions to their households, such as income or child or elder care. Some spouses, parents or children of deceased accident victims consider filing wrongful death claims against at-fault drivers. Personal injury attorneys could guide families through the process of seeking compensation.
Source: WKRN, “Woman dies after being ejected in crash on I-24 in Smyrna“, June 16, 2014