2 families devastated after car wreck

While most of Tennessee was preparing for New Year’s parties, two families were dealing with the repercussions of a tragic accident. A car wreck involving three cars happened around lunch time on the last day of 2015. It is reported that one of the cars involved smashed into a minivan, forcing it into oncoming traffic.

A family of four traveling in a minivan was waiting for a red light to change when the van was hit from behind by a sedan. It is estimated that the elderly driver of the sedan was traveling at 90 mph when her vehicle smashed into the minivan. The force of the impact was so great that the minivan was propelled into a pickup truck on the opposite side of the intersection.

A 7-year-old twin boy in the minivan passed away at the accident scene, while both his father and twin brother were critically injured and had to be flown to a nearby medical center. According to the spokesperson for the police department, the surviving twin was badly injured and may not survive. The 83-year-old driver, as well as her passenger, was also critically injured; the driver has since passed away.

Tennessee law allows for the family of fatally injured victims to file a wrongful death claim when the gathered evidence indicates that a fatality was caused by the negligence of another. In cases where victims are seriously injured in a car wreck, the family may choose to file a personal injury claim, based upon documented negligence or recklessness. The preliminary evidence from this tragedy suggests that the estate of the deceased driver will be liable for her negligence in causing the crash and the resulting death of the young boy and injuries to the other family members.

Source: wkrn.com, “7-year-old twin killed, family seriously hurt in Winchester crash”, Dec. 31, 2015