When it comes to determining the cause of car accidents, some explanations are fairly cut-and-dry. The driver who caused the accident may have been distracted or made a simple error in judgment, and may even take responsibility immediately for the crash. Other accidents take some investigation, particularly if the fault isn’t clear or the person who caused the crash isn’t willing to provide details that would be incriminating.
Sometimes a car accident can have multiple causes. Police believe this is the case in a collision that happened over the weekend in western Pennsylvania. It was just after 1 a.m. Saturday when a 19-year-old woman was driving to her home in Lawrence County. Driving behind her on Route 208 was a 21-year-old man in an SUV. As she approached her driveway and proceeded to turn, the man’s Jeep Grand Cherokee broadsided her car.
The crash was so severe that the woman was trapped inside her car. What’s worse is that she was unconscious as a result of a head wound she suffered in the collision. Emergency crews removed the door of her car, extricated her and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she’s now listed in serious condition.
As for the SUV driver, police said he was speeding at the time of the crash and one officer even said he was attempting to pull over the vehicle for that reason. Authorities say that he failed a number of field sobriety tests and was suspected of driving drunk. As if that weren’t enough, police say he was also experiencing road rage at the time. This anger and impatience with other drivers often leads people to follow too closely behind other cars and take unnecessary risks. The numerous allegations against the driver in this crash could make it easier for the injured driver to seek compensation for her medical expenses, but the best way to determine that will be for her to consult an experienced personal injury attorney.
Source: CBS Pittsburgh, “Woman Hit By Car While Turning Into Driveway,” Oct. 20, 2012
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