Practicing safe driving habits like removing distractions and always wearing a seat belt can potentially help reduce a persons risk of being involved in an accident. Unfortunately, being a safe driver does not address at least one issue other drivers. A recent fatal accident on a California highway demonstrates just how difficult it is to avoid unexpected dangers on the road.
At approximately 5:20 a.m., a 52-year-old man somehow left his lane and struck the divider separating the two sides of the freeway. After striking the divider the car came to a stop across multiple lanes of traffic, including the fast lane. A pickup truck that had been traveling in the same direction could not stop in time to avoid a collision. The driver who initially wrecked his car suffered fatal injuries when he was thrown from the vehicle.
Several other vehicles were also involved in the wreck. After the pickup truck collided with the first wrecked car, there was not enough time for a 25-year-old man on a motorcycle to maneuver out of the fast lane or slow to a stop. He hit the pickup and and was thrown off his motorcycle. This young man also died at the scene of the accident. Three other vehicles collided with the other cars after that, but the driver of the pickup truck was the only person who had to be taken to the hospital for injuries.
A multi-vehicle fatal accident causes so much more than just an unfortunate death. Friends and family members are left behind to handle the devastating aftermath, much of which is both emotional and financial. California families need time to grieve their losses, but are often so caught up in finding money for funeral expenses or making ends meet that doing so is simply not possible. Families can address these issues through wrongful death claims, which can still be filed even if the negligent driver also died in the accident.
