Three Jersey City women and an unborn child were recently killed in a car crash in Jersey City, New Jersey, when a van went off the road and crashed into the side of the home. The auto accident victims include a 62-year-old woman, a 36-year-old woman and her unborn baby, and an 11-year-old girl. Six other passengers were injured in the car crash. The younger woman was five months pregnant at the time of the crash. The driver, a 37-year-old man, was the stepfather of the young girl killed, and he admitted to being intoxicated at the time of the crash. The driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and assault by auto.
This case illustrates that intoxicated drivers can cause tragic accidents due to the altered consciousness and reduced judgment created by alcohol intoxication. Drunk drivers also lack the coordination of sober drivers, making them prone to driving over the speed limit, driving in the wrong lane, or going off the road. All of these factors make deaths such as the ones in this case a likely consequence of driving while intoxicated.
Fatal car accidents take a terrible toll on the victims and their families. In addition to the injuries or deaths themselves, there is also the financial impact of the accident. Property damage and vehicle repairs may consume a family’s valuable financial resources. In addition, there is the issue of medical bills and wages lost due to death or injury that can deal a crippling blow to a family’s finances. Car accidents are not only physically and emotionally traumatic, but are also financially draining.
Anyone who has lost a family member or a loved one to a car crash is entitled to financial compensation in the form of damages and a personal injury judgment against the defendant. In this way, the defendant is held accountable for his or her negligence, and forced to cover the financial resources for lost wages, medical bills, the pain and suffering endured, and any temporary or permanent disability incurred. Victims of car crashes and their families have the legal right to seek a monetary redress of their injuries or loss.
Source: NJ.com, “Jersey City women, girl killed in car accident to be laid to rest Tuesday,” Anthony J. Machcinski, Aug. 30, 2013.