Many Connecticut residents may view rear-end collisions as “fender benders” that do not result in serious injuries. In fact, most people tend to view these crashes as minor, but that is not always the case. Being struck from behind can quickly turn into a fatal accident under certain circumstances.
For instance, troopers with the Connecticut State Police recently responded to the scene of a rear-end collision on Interstate 95. According to preliminary reports, the crash ultimately involved three vehicles. The first two vehicles had come to a stop due to traffic congestion in the left southbound lane. The third vehicle failed to stop and slammed into what became the middle vehicle.
The impact threw that second vehicle into the lead vehicle. Four people suffered minor injuries, but one person suffered severe injuries to which the 35-year-old Pennsylvania woman succumbed. Troopers shut down that section of the interstate for hours while they conducted the on scene investigation and cleared the roadway, but the investigation did not end there. What charges, if any, the driver of the third vehicle may face may not be revealed until its conclusion.
In the meantime, the surviving family members of the deceased woman may begin their own investigation into the crash in order to gather evidence of negligence needed for a wrongful death claim. Filing such a civil action could result in an award of damages if the court determines that another party’s negligence led to the death of their loved one. Any restitution received could help with the financial losses that accompany this fatal accident.
