While it is not uncommon for fatal accidents to happen on Pennsylvania roads during the holidays, they will likely produce life-long trauma for those who loose loved ones at this time of the year. Apart from the tragic loss of life, the surviving family will relive the sadness every year. One family lost a loved one in a fatal auto accident that occurred in Erie two days before Christmas.
Police reported that, according to witnesses, a 54-year-old northbound driver allegedly veered across the center of a local roadway and crashed head-on into a southbound vehicle. Emergency workers had to extricate both drivers from their respective vehicles before they could be transported to a local hospital. The driver of a third vehicle in the accident, also southbound, apparently suffered no injuries.
The driver who crossed over the center apparently remained in the hospital at the time of the media report. It took emergency workers almost 10 minutes to extricate the 67-year-old southbound driver, and when he was removed, he was not conscious and reported to be suffering cardiac arrest. He died about an hour after admittance to the hospital, and the coroner attributed his death to blunt force trauma.
The surviving family members of the man who lost his life in this auto accident are entitled to take legal action to recover the unexpected and sudden financial losses incurred. They retain the right to commence a wrongful death claim in a Pennsylvania civil court against the alleged negligent driver of the other car. If successful, the court may award a monetary judgment for end-of-life expenses, including other documented losses that were brought about by the tragic accident.
Source: goerie.com, “Investigation continues into fatal crash in Erie”, Dec. 25, 2014