A 29-year-old passenger of a car died when the driver rear-ended a semi-truck on I-70 East near Route 4 on Sept. 5. Traffic was stopped ahead of them, and the semi-truck began to slow down. According to witnesses, the driver of the car did not appear to brake at all before slamming into the back of the semi-trailer.
The car’s passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, and its driver was taken to a local hospital. No information has been released about that driver’s condition, and the semi driver was not injured in the accident. The investigating officers stated that both drivers are cooperating with them.
Officers closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate near the location of the accident for approximately five hours after the accident. They do not believe that alcohol was involved.
In cases involving fatal car accidents such as this one, the family of the deceased may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the person who is deemed at fault. In many cases, a distracted driver can be dangerous because distractions can greatly increase the driver’s reaction time. If the driver was not distracted and something went wrong with the car itself, it is possible that the manufacturer of a defective part could be responsible for the accident.
In any car accident, a police investigation will gather all of the information about the accident, including any factors that could have caused it to happen. Witness statements can also be useful in conjunction with the police report to strengthen the case against the at-fault party.
Source: WHIO, “Passenger dies after car rear-ends semi on I-70 East”, September 05, 2014