An accident reconstruction team and the New York State Police are investigating a fatal crash that claimed the lives of two people on a recent Monday evening. Although the investigation is ongoing, it might eventually lead to a wrongful death lawsuit. A preliminary accident report indicates that the crash occurred shortly after 10:15 p.m. in Rotterdam.
The report shows that two vehicles, traveling in opposite directions, collided. For reasons not yet known, one car drifted across the centerline and entered the traffic lane of vehicles heading the other way. This put the crossover driver’s vehicle directly in the path of another car, making a collision unavoidable.
The impact of the collision caused both cars to roll over. The 31-year-old driver who lost control of his vehicle and his 39-year-old passenger suffered fatal injuries, and they both died at the crash scene. The two occupants of the other car, a 30-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, were rushed to a hospital with injuries not thought to be life-threatening.
Those who suffer injuries as the result of another party’s negligence typically have grounds to file personal injury lawsuits. In a case such as this one in which the party deemed negligent does not survive the accident, his or her estate could be named as the defendant. The surviving family members of the deceased passenger can pursue damage recovery by filing a wrongful death claim against the estate. An experienced New York motor vehicle accident attorney can provide valuable support and guidance throughout the ensuing legal proceedings.