One moment of distraction, one bad decision or one careless mistake can change the lives of many people. It could be several years before the full extent of the death of even one person is truly understood. Regardless of the causes of car accidents throughout the country, including those that take place here in Ohio, the consequences reach far beyond the lives of those involved.
On May 28, 2017, two teenage girls lost their lives when a vehicle driven by a 25-year-old woman slammed into them. Reports indicate that the girls were walking with two teenage boys at the time. One of those boys suffered serious injuries while the other managed to escape injury.
As it turns out, the woman driving the vehicle was texting at the time and did not notice that her vehicle veered off the roadway until she slammed into the teens. While the girls lay dying, that woman began deleting the texts she was sending in an attempt to hide her negligence. She eventually pleaded guilty to some felonies while others were dropped as part of a plea deal she made with the prosecution. The judge sentenced her to six years in prison with three years of post-release control thereafter.
More than just two lives changed that day. People the driver will probably never meet suffered as a result of her actions. Under these circumstances, families may seek justice, peace and restitution in Ohio’s civil courts as well as its criminal ones. Wrongful death claims filed in the aftermath of deadly car accidents allow surviving family members to pursue restitution for the financial losses associated with the death of a loved one.
