When pedestrians are struck by motor vehicles, the damage is often catastrophic, even if a car isn’t traveling very fast. In the event of an auto-pedestrian accident, it can be crucial for victims and their families to have all the information available to determine whether compensation for damage is possible.
Sometimes, finding this information can be very difficult. It’s not always easy to figure out what caused an accident and it may be necessary and beneficial to have accident investigators thoroughly scrutinize the details of a crash in order to figure out what happened. Recently, for instance, accident investigators were able to shed some light on a catastrophic accident that left the victim indefinitely unconscious.
Some of the details of the accident were known right away. A woman was in a crosswalk crossing the street when a car struck her and then dragged her more than 100 feet. In order to determine if the driver should face criminal charges, however, more information was needed.
Accident investigators were able to examine a number of details after the accident. They looked at weather conditions, braking patterns, cellphone records and police reports to shed some light on the crash. It was determined that the time of day combined with bad weather made for poor visibility. The victim was also wearing dark clothes which made her difficult to see. They also found that the driver immediately applied her brakes, but she didn’t slam them, which accounted for the distance the car traveled after impact. There was no evidence to suggest the driver was impaired or distracted at the time.
Based on all these pieces of information, it was concluded that criminal charges would not be filed. However, the victim or her family may choose to file a civil lawsuit to pursue compensation for the considerable damages that have been suffered.
Having all the information after a crash will be necessary to determine what steps can be taken afterward and who may be held accountable. Finding these answers can be significantly easier with the support and guidance of a personal injury attorney.
Source: Gazettenet.com, “Analysis of December accident that severely injured Chloe Rombach shows split-second decisions often key in determining outcome of such tragedies,” Rebecca Everett, April 15, 2015