Ohio drivers may agree that there is an art to merging onto the highway. You need to have the correct speed, an eye for spacing and the ability to enter the flow of traffic seamlessly. Unfortunately, too many vehicle accidents occur during highway merging because some drivers fail to do it correctly.
Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol responded to a multiple vehicle crash on a recent Friday morning that began with a driver failing to properly merge onto State Route 11 from Interstate 90. For some yet unknown reason, the driver lost control of the vehicle, which sent it careening across all four lanes of the highway. A second vehicle could not stop in time to avoid colliding with the first, and it flipped over before coming to rest in the northbound lanes of SR 11.
A third vehicle then crashed into the second vehicle. A 74-year-old passenger in the third vehicle suffered fatal injuries at the scene. Two others went to the hospital for treatment of unknown injuries, and the driver of the first vehicle walked away with no injuries. At last report, the investigation into what caused this crash remained open.
In the meantime, the injured victims and the family of the deceased passenger will have to deal with unexpected expenses that could cause financial strain. They may exercise their rights under Ohio law and file personal injury or wrongful death claims, as applicable. Successfully proving negligence on the part of the party or parties believed at fault could result in an award of damages common in vehicle accidents.
