Good Samaritans killed while helping at car wreck

A Tennessee family is still trying to come to terms with the tragic event in which a mother and her son was killed by a semi-truck on a recent Monday evening in early February. Authorities have released the video footage taken by the dash cam of the first response vehicle to arrive at the scene. They are hopeful that the video footage of the car wreck will raise awareness for the need for witnesses to help with the investigation.

It is reported that the mother and son was returning home after shopping for groceries, when they stopped at an accident scene. They were trying to help the passengers of an SUV, which had rolled after slipping on ice. While providing assistance, they were struck by the semi-truck. The 10-year-old boy died at the accident scene, while his mother passed away not long afterward at a hospital in the region.

According to the authorities, they have a good idea of what occurred, but they need witnesses to help them establish exactly what happened. They are aware that quite a few other people had also stopped at the first accident and saw the whole thing. These people are needed to help with the investigation.

Should the investigation into the car wreck and the testimony of the eyewitnesses prove that negligence by the semi-truck driver was the root cause of the accident, the family of the deceased victims may choose to file a wrongful death claim against the driver. Under Tennessee law, they will have to prove the negligence before being awarded compensation. If their claim is found to be valid and compensation is awarded, they may find that it eases the financial burdens caused by the tragic accident.

Source: wkrn.com, “Dash cam video shows I-65 crash after mother, son hit by semi”, Feb. 20, 2015