Gainesville Police believe that road rage was likely to blame for causing a deadly accident last week on Browns Bridge Road.
A police spokesman said in a statement that a 911 call was received wherein the caller stated that a pickup truck was repeatedly and aggressively hitting a Toyota Highlander from behind for unknown reasons. The call came in just after midnight.
According to the transcript of the 911 call, the couple in the Highlander said that the truck had been following them for some time, and that he repeatedly turned his headlights off and on, and continued to ram into the back of their vehicle.
Then, according to police, the driver of the pickup truck attempted to pass the Highlander, and crashed head on into an SUV in oncoming traffic. The crash can be heard on the recording of the 911 call. The caller stated that the man, “just hit somebody head-on going about 70 miles an hour.” Both the driver of the pickup and the SUV died during the collision.
The pickup was reportedly also carrying two female passengers, both of whom were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
There are several different things going on here. First and foremost, if the statements regarding his driving are true, the driver of the pickup was operating his pickup in a reckless manner. By intentionally and repeatedly slamming into the car in front of him at highway speeds, he was putting not only the individuals in the Highlander at risk, but also his passengers, and anyone else on the road for that matter. This behavior seems to strongly indicate that he was not operating his truck in the way that a reasonably prudent (careful) person would do, which is a requirement in establishing a negligence claim. Therefore, all of those individuals directly affected by this recklessness would have a strong claim against the driver (his estate) for any personal injury or property damaged that his actions caused.
Secondly, and unfortunately tragically, the reckless driving led to a subsequent decision to attempt to pass the Highlander, and resulted in a head on collision with the driver of the SUV. Literally but for his reckless driving, the young woman who was driving the SUV would still be alive, likely meeting the standard for a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims attempt to compensate families for the loss of love and companionship of their loved one. Additionally, if the person was working at the time, there can sometimes be a claim for the lost wages, and also in some cases for funeral and other related expenses.
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in a car accident due to another individual’s negligent driving, consult an experienced Atlanta car accident attorney as soon as possible. Stephen Ozcomert is a knowledgeable personal injury attorney with over 20 years of experience, and is skilled at representing individuals and their families who have been injured as a result of the negligent or reckless driving of others in Atlanta and throughout Georgia. Contact us today in order to schedule your free initial consultation. You can reach us by calling (404)-370-1000 or through our website.
More Blog Posts:
Multiple Fatalities in Church Bus Collision, including Atlanta Truck Driver, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published October 2, 2013
Incredibly Tragic Accident in Douglasville on I-20 Involving Several Children, Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published September 26, 2013