Alleged drunk driving accident causes 2 fatalities

Just before midday on Saturday, Nov. 8, officers of the highway patrol of Tennessee were called to the scene of an accident in South Nashville. A woman had allegedly been drunk driving and, as a result, caused multiple accidents. The incident claimed her own life as well as that of a 4-year-old girl. State troopers reported that the person at fault was a 28-year-old woman traveling in a southerly direction when she veered across the lanes into oncoming traffic. She hit two vehicles before smashing head-on into another.

The 4-year-old girl, who was a passenger in the other vehicle involved in the head-on collision, was flung from the back seat. She sustained fatal injuries and died on the way to the hospital. The alleged drunk driver died at the scene of the accident. Investigators found alcohol in the her vehicle, which raised the suspicion of drunk driving. The 32-year-old mother of the toddler was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

Neither of the deceased appeared to have been wearing their seatbelts. Troopers are of the opinion that both would have been saved had they been strapped in. An unlicensed driver and passenger of another vehicle involved in the collisions were arrested after leaving the scene of the accident.

It is very traumatic for a family to cope with the unexpected death of such a young child, but families in Tennessee, and elsewhere, have options in such cases. If the deceased driver is, in fact, found guilty of drunk driving and deemed responsible, the family of the injured mother and deceased toddler retains the right to file wrongful death and personal injury claims. In circumstances where the law determines that an act of negligence was committed, a Tennessee court may also consider the imposition of punitive damages, in addition to any compensatory damages awarded.

Source: NewsChannel5.com, Driver, Toddler Die in Multi-Car Crash, No author, Nov. 8, 2013