Investigators often reconstruct collisions in order to determine who or what may have caused a particular incident. Sadly, a recent tragedy on a Kentucky highway resulted in two fatalities. Police say investigators are still analyzing the events that led to the head-on crash.
The accident occurred just after 6 p.m. on a recent Wednesday. Preliminary investigations show that one of the vehicles had been traveling in a westbound direction moments before the crash. For some reason, the 43-year-old driver of an SUV veered out of his lane, directly into an oncoming vehicle headed east.
The SUV driver did not survive his injuries. A 70-year-old passenger in the other vehicle was pronounced dead upon her arrival at a nearby hospital. The driver of that vehicle survived the collision and was being treated for injuries that were not life-threatening.
Kentucky law allows recovering accident victims to file personal injury claims in civil court against any party or parties whose negligence was responsible for their injuries. If a victim dies, a spouse or other immediate family member may file a wrongful death claim. In cases like this one, where the driver believed to have caused the accident passed away, a claim may still be filed against his or her estate. Filing a legal claim cannot bring a loved one back to life, but a successfully navigated claim can result in court-awarded monetary judgment to cover funeral costs and other financial losses related to a loved one’s death.