Wrongful death claims may be brought in pedestrian-car accident

Everyone that gets behind the wheel of a car in New York and beyond must recognize and appreciate their duty as a driver. After all, cars are very powerful pieces of machinery that are capable of inflicting a great deal of damage and injuries to other motorists and even pedestrians in some cases. While all the details concerning the tragic incident had yet to be disclosed, concerns were being raised over how and why an elderly driver killed one pedestrian and inflicted multiple personal injuries recently.

The fatal incident occurred one evening in California and resulted in numerous people being hurt. Two adults, along with two teenage girls and an 11-year-old boy, required medical treatment at an area hospital for injuries they sustained while standing outside a local ice cream parlor. The fatal accident victim, a 73-year-old woman, succumbed to her injuries after being pinned beneath the vehicle.

According to law enforcement, the fatal incident happened when the driver of an SUV mistakenly accelerated in the direction of the people standing outside the ice cream shop and struck a gate. The gate then fell on the pedestrians. The man driving the SUV is reportedly around 80 years old, and he was accompanied in the vehicle by his wife at the time.

While no word had been given as to whether or not the driver of the SUV may confront charges or wrongful death claims for his role in the fatal incident, it was confirmed that authorities had questioned him. Not only are they likely to investigate whether or not he was driving on a valid license but law enforcement may seek to determine if the elderly man experienced a medical crisis prior to wrongly accelerating into the crowd.

Source: abclocal.go.com, “Buena Park crash: Elderly driver hits group outside restaurant; 1 dead,” Robert Holguin, April 25, 2014