Traveling the highways throughout the nation is often challenging enough based on congestion and roadwork. Add in the possibility that impaired drivers may be traveling along these same roads and the level of danger increases substantially. Sadly, when an impaired driver causes the death of an innocent Tennessee victim, surviving family may have recourse for justice through a wrongful death civil suit.
Recently, Tennessee officials were called to the scene of a fatal collision. The report indicated that a motorist in a pickup truck was traveling down I-24 when his vehicle spun out of his control and collided with a roadside barrier. Another driver was forced to take evasive action to avoid striking the wreck vehicle. Unfortunately, the 51-year-old man was unable to safely navigate around the crash scene. His vehicle lost contact with the roadway, causing him to smash into a roadside pole.
After impact, the second driver’s vehicle caught fire. The driver was killed in the collision, and a passenger was transported for medical care. The two occupants in the first vehicle attempted to flee the crash scene on foot, but bystanders were able to detain them until police arrived. The 31-year-old driver of the pickup was observed to have signs of intoxication, which was confirmed with a blood test. Police also found empty alcohol containers in the wrecked truck.
The driver, who has a prior conviction for a DUI, was charged with vehicular homicide caused by inebriation, failure to provide aid, attempting to leave a crash scene and several other offenses. In addition, he was also served with an open warrant in connection to previous offenses. The family of the deceased man may be left with significant financial damages in addition to their grief over the loss of their loved one. Families in these tragic situations may have recourse to recover their financial losses through the successful navigation of wrongful death case in Tennessee’s civil courts.