Car crashes can create many legal tangles. In a minor accident, parties may be able to rely on the insurance coverage of the responsible party to handle property damage. When the accident is more severe, you may have to hire an attorney to protect your rights to compensation.
In the most severe and egregious cases, the Commonwealth may bring charges against the party responsible for the car crash. And such was the horrific example of a Warren County man who struck and killed another man who was parked along I-81, checking his tires.
The driver has now been arrested and charged with murder, “homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter, and recklessly endangering another person.”
He had been using marijuana and was witnessed passing vehicles on the right shoulder while driving at a high-sustained speed. The 71-year old man died at the scene and his wife was hospitalized with minor injuries after the crash.
The wife’s potential suit against the other driver would attempt to recover compensation from his insurance company for her injuries and would likely include a wrongful death claim.
While the story did not indicate if the man had insurance coverage, if he did not, the wife could bring a claim against her own insurance based on uninsured coverage.
With tragic car accidents like this it can be complex to sort out the types and availability of insurance coverage and your attorney can help explain the arcane language of insurance and personal injury law to help you decide how to proceed.
Source: Pressconnect.com, “Murder arrest in Pa. crash that killed Endicott man,” Anthony Borrelli, August 8, 2014