On Monday, March 20, 2017, a head-on collision killed two people in Folsom while they were driving on White Rock Road, close to the intersection with Prairie City Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred at about 8:20 a.m. on White Rock Road, south of Highway 50, and involved three vehicles when it was all over. California Highway Patrol Spokesman, Officer Tommy Riggin, reported that a vehicle heading westbound and driven by a 41-year-old El Dorado Hills man was speeding into oncoming traffic when it collided with an eastbound vehicle being driven by a 21-year-old woman.
A third vehicle was also involved in the collision when the woman operating the vehicle came upon the collision, spun out of control and barreled into the crash. CHP reported that the wrong-way driver and the 21-year-old woman were killed and pronounced dead on the scene. The third driver, identified as a female, received moderate injuries.
The driver at fault was identified on the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office website as Christopher Haynes. The deceased woman’s name has not been released and is pending notification of her family.
CHP Lt. Brandon Straw said that a report of a wrong-way vehicle traveling at 80 to 100 mph came into dispatchers one minute before the fatal accident occurred. CHP says that this was an avoidable tragedy and that they are thankful the vehicles involved did not have any passengers as they likely would have sustained life-threatening injuries as well.
According to Straw, there will be an investigation, “We will have to do interviews with people who were close to him, friends and family, we will want to see what his mindset was. Driving on the wrong side of the road at the speeds he was going was a tragedy waiting to happen. And it did happen. An innocent person lost her life this morning.”
The road was closed for about four hours following the incident.
Case for Wrongful Death?
When an individual’s death is caused by the negligence or wrongful act of another, the surviving family members, or other eligible parties, can bring a wrongful death suit and attempt to recover damages caused by the negligent act. Compensation to the plaintiff could include costs associated with the death, such as medical bills or funeral costs, and can also include compensation for labor/services/ support that the decedent will no longer be able to perform and provide.
The most important part of a wrongful death case is establishing negligence. We don’t like to comment on the prospects of a situation before knowing all the details, but it looks like a case for negligence could be made with regards to the above situation.
After negligence is proven, experienced wrongful death auto accident attorneys in Sacrament CA would begin to establish and prove, the amount of damages.
Call a Sacramento Accident Attorney at the Weinberger Law Firm Today.
Wrongful death cases are incredibly complex and determining the proper damages to seek can make or break a case. It may seem obvious to you that the death of your loved one was the result of someone else’s negligence or wrongful act, but what you may not understand is that winning your case will be dependent on far more than proving negligence. Call our Sacramento accident lawyer for a free consultation at (916) 357-6767 today!