Previously, we’ve discussed how negligence too often plays a role in personal injury and wrongful death. But sometimes the determination of fault in a fatal accident has to go beyond the initial police report. In fact, families in New Jersey sometimes have to seek help in accident reconstruction after the tragic death of a loved one. Such efforts aid victims’ families in deciding whether a wrongful death claim is a viable option in the wake of a fatal accident.
These issues are likely all too close to home for the family of a man from Mount Laurel. The 28-year-old was fatally injured on April 17 when a car struck him as he walked along Route 38 in Hainesport. The car that hit the young man swerved after the initial collision and struck another vehicle. Neither of the drivers was hurt, and despite the pedestrian’s fatal injuries, no one was charged with a traffic violation.
According to the New Jersey State Police, the 28-year-old was walking on the shoulder of the road. It was claimed that the young man stepped into the right lane of traffic. How police determined this information wasn’t indicated in a local news report, but we can assume that the drivers gave their own accounts of what happened.
The family of the victim in this case deserves to know the exact circumstances of the young man’s death. While the investigation of the accident apparently took three hours at night, one may wonder if the investigation was thorough. Clarity is too often obscured when a crash site isn’t properly scrutinized for details.
Sadly, the young man’s passing marks the fourth pedestrian fatality in Burlington County this year and the sixteenth death resulting from a car crash. Bergen, Hudson, Essex and Union counties have also seen four pedestrian fatalities each since Jan. 1, and in the same period of time, 44 pedestrians statewide have lost their lives to auto accidents.
Source: phillyburbs.com, “Mount Laurel man, 28, killed while walking on Route 38,” David Levinsky, April 19, 2012