A promising young life was cut short recently on an Oregon highway. A 22-year-old single mother died after being involved in a three-vehicle car accident near Corvallis. Until her death, the young woman had been a pillar in her community and a star athlete who hoped to attend medical school in the future.
The young woman was traveling on Highway 34 when a large SUV attempted to change lanes in front of her. It appears that the driver of the SUV misjudged the lane change distance and struck the right-front section of the young woman’s car. The impact caused her to lose control and sent her vehicle into on-coming traffic. There she crashed head-on into a car driven by a 52-year-old man.
The single mother died at the scene as a result of the injuries sustained in the car accident. The male head-on collision victim was taken to a local hospital where he remains with serious injuries. The SUV driver was uninjured in the Oregon crash. Oregon State Police are conducting an investigation into the crash. So far, reports do not indicate that charges have been filed.
The family of the young girl who died has suffered a tremendous loss that cannot be easily recovered from. Not only have they lost a sister and a daughter, but the victim’s 18-month-old daughter has lost her mother. Though no legal system can be expected to repair the damage done to this family by the car accident, the driver of the SUV may be held liable if her actions are determined to have caused the untimely death and injury.
The liability to the driver could extend to the economic damages that the loss of the young life and further injury to another has caused. Such liability could lead the car accident victim’s family to pursue civil action such as wrongful death. In addition, the man injured may also find it within his rights to pursue damages for his injuries and recovery.
Source: NR Today, “Crash kills former S. Umpqua student,” Carisa Cegavske, Sept. 14, 2012
