Atlanta Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
When servicemen are killed in the U.S. in car crashes, it’s hard to accept. They survived Iraq only to come home and wind up dead.
“This case was really hard for the family,” said Stephen Ozcomert an Atlanta personal injury attorney. “The 21-year-old Marine hadn’t been home all that long when he and his wife were hit head-on by a wrong way driver,” he explained.
The wrong way driver was a 71-year-old man who was heading east in the westbound lane where the Marine and his family were driving. They met head-on. When EMS crews responded to this accident call, they immediately transported the young Marine, his wife and the other driver to the nearest hospital for treatment. Unfortunately, the Marine died at the hospital and his wife was flown to another hospital to be stabilized. The driver of the other car was also stabilized at the hospital.
“No one is sure why the 71-year-old man driving the Chevy Silverado pickup truck was driving the wrong way on the highway. Eyewitnesses only recall seeing the head-on crash, but not what the driver was doing prior to the crash. There will be a full investigation into this crash to determine why the man was some place he should not have been,” added Ozcomert, a veteran auto accident attorney.
On the surface, it’s fairly obvious that the elderly man was at fault for driving the wrong way. Perhaps all that really matters now is that the police are able to find out why. “Was the gentleman driving while distracted? Was he using a cell phone at the time? Was he not wearing glasses as prescribed in order to drive? Was he suffering from dementia and didn’t realize where he was? All those things are relevant in terms of a wrongful death lawsuit,” Ozcomert explained.
When the Marine’s wife is able to contact an attorney, it’s fairly certain she will be asking questions about filing a lawsuit based on the facts as they stand and any further information that turns up as a result of the police investigation. Even if charges are laid, a civil action (personal injury wrongful death lawsuit) may still be filed.
“If you find yourself in a situation like this one, or any other kind of auto accident that results in serious injuries or a fatality, get to a competent personal injury lawyer as soon as you can. It’s important to start an action as soon as possible before the evidence is either destroyed, removed or altered. Time is critical in cases like this and to get justice, whether that may be through a settlement or a jury verdict, the case needs to move forward quickly,” added Ozcomert.
To learn more visit http://www.ozcomert.com.