One of the most vulnerable times while driving here in Ohio or anywhere else is when making left-hand turns. This requires turning drivers to maneuver through oncoming traffic and risk car accidents. Judging distances and timing are crucial for both the driver turning and the driver approaching the turning vehicle. If either driver makes a mistake, the results could be catastrophic.
For instance, two vehicles were headed toward each other on a recent Saturday afternoon. Neither driver had any idea that their worlds would soon collide, literally. As one of the vehicles began a left turn into a private driveway, the oncoming vehicle slammed into it. That was at approximately 3:13 p.m.
When troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol arrived at the scene, they discovered that all three people involved, the 36-year-old woman driving the oncoming vehicle, the 64-year-old woman driving the turning vehicle and her 67-year-old passenger, suffered injuries. All three were taken to a hospital in the area. The two women suffered injuries not thought to be life-threatening, but the man in the passenger seat died after arriving at the hospital.
His surviving family members may exercise the right to file a wrongful death claim against one or both drivers. If the court rules that both drivers played a part in the man’s death, they could each be apportioned a certain percentage of liability. As would happen in similar car accidents, any award that the court may grant to the passenger’s family would be split between the responsible parties in accordance with those percentages.
