Most people who have never experienced the death of a child likely cannot fully imagine the pain and anguish of such a tragedy. One woman in Texas is coping with this pain after a fatal accident took the life of not only her son, but also her husband. Police have indicated that the driver believed to have caused the alleged drunk driving accident will likely face criminal charges as a result.
The accident happened in the early morning hours of a morning in early September. Police claim that a family of four was traveling west in a sports utility vehicle when they entered an intersection with a green light. According to reports, a man driving a pickup south failed to stop at the red light and struck the SUV which contained a family of four.
The impact caused the SUV to slam into a metal pole. The father and 10-year-old son died as a result. The mother and 3-year-old son suffered from serious injuries but are considered to be in stable condition. The other driver was uninjured and suspected to be speeding and under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. He will likely face manslaughter charges as a result, according to police.
While attempting to recover from her own injuries, the woman in this accident must cope with the news of both her husband and son’s death. In addition to her grief, she will have to come to terms with the potentially significant financial ramifications of the drunk driving accident, including lost wages, funeral expenses and medical bills. If it can be proved in a Texas civil court that the other driver’s negligence caused the accident, she could receive a monetary award to compensate her for such expenses as well as pain and suffering and other damages. While a guilty conviction of criminal charges isn’t necessary to prove her civil claims, it would likely go a long ways toward supporting any allegations of negligence.
Source: clicktohouston.com, “HPD: Drunk driver hits family of 4, kills 2”, Lauren Scott, Sept. 6, 2014