On July 10, 2012, a woman and five children were driving south on I-265 in Louisville Kentucky. For some reason, traffic on the highway – also called the Gene Snyder – was stopped. The woman in the minivan had successfully stopped and was waiting for traffic to start moving again. A man driving a pickup truck did not see the stopped traffic and he slammed into the minivan full of children, causing it to hit another car and land in the median. After the car accident, the woman and all of the children were taken to the hospital with injuries. Unfortunately, a 10-year-old girl succumbed to her injuries and passed away at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
Fatal car accidents are always tragic, especially to those closest to the victim. But when the victim is a child, the sadness is magnified. The victim, as well as everyone else in the car, was wearing a seatbelt, and was simply traveling most likely from her home in Edgewood, Kentucky with relatives to an unknown destination. She will never reach that destination, or graduate from high school, or have a family of her own to take on a road trip.
According to police, the driver of the pickup truck that caused the car wreck said he didn’t see the stopped traffic in time. Because there is no hill or curve to obstruct the view on that stretch of highway, and because there was no rain, snow, or fog to reduce visibility, the most likely reason he didn’t see the stopped traffic was because he was distracted.
Distracted driving has always been around. Drivers can be distracted by something as simple as the scenery outside or a conversation with a passenger. As technology has increased, so has the number of driving distractions. Car radios and cd players can distract someone who is searching for a different song to listen to. A GPS is a very helpful tool when traveling in an unfamiliar place, but a driver can lose sight of the road as he is entering a destination or changing the settings. And of course there is the cell phone, used for talking, surfing the web, and texting. The general public will probably never know what caused the accident unless it makes the news, but investigators will figure out exactly what happened.
Kentucky car accident attorneys are known for their actions in court, but they can also play a very important role before any legal action is taken. They collect the facts of the case and keep on top of the investigation, which is helpful when victims are recovering from injuries or families are dealing with the loss of a loved one. They also help determine where insurance claims need to be filed for property damage or personal injuries. If legal action is necessary, Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers can file personal injury lawsuits and wrongful death lawsuits to obtain compensation for victims and their families.
