Driving can be an inherently dangerous activity. It only takes a momentary mistake for a traveling vehicle to become a weapon capable of significant destruction. Drunk, distracted and tired drivers can cross center lines into oncoming traffic, fail to yield to pedestrians and even fail to share the road with bicyclists. When negligence like this occurs, innocent and unsuspecting motorists can be placed in harm’s way.
One Arizona family knows this reality all too well after their loved was killed in a recent car accident. The wreck, which occurred in west Phoenix, involved multiple vehicles. According to the police, a teenage driver operating a pickup truck was attempting to make a left turn when he struck an oncoming vehicle. The force of the impact caused that vehicle to then hit a third car that was waiting at a traffic signal. The driver of the vehicle that was initially struck by the pickup truck, a 51-year-old woman, was killed in the accident.
The exact cause of this crash is still unknown. The police state that the teenager who was driving the pickup truck showed no signs of impairment, but that does not mean that he is not at fault. An investigation into the accident may determine that he was distracted or simply failed to accurately gauge the oncoming car’s speed. Either way, there is a significant chance that he will be found to be at least partially at fault for the wreck.
If that turns out to be the case, then the deceased individual’s family may be able to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the errant driver and, in the case of a minor, his or her parents. Taking legal action is rarely easy, which is why this woman’s surviving family and others who find themselves in this type of tragic situation may want to seek assistance from a qualified attorney.
