A Pennsylvania car accident ended with the loss of two lives and left two other young passengers injured.
The car accident occurred in South Middleton Township in Cumberland County. The driver of a Volkswagen GTI was a 20-year-old woman from Newville. Three other people were passengers in the car and all of the occupants in the car were from Cumberland County.
Investigators believe that speed was to blame for the deadly crash. According to the Pennsylvania State Police, the speed limit in the area is 35 mph. Authorities did not report how fast they believe she was driving before this crash, but police believe that the driver was traveling much faster than the posted speed limit. This is because the driver was unable to maneuver her car at a curve in the road and ended up striking a tree. In addition, the level of destruction to the car indicates that the car hit the tree at a high rate of speed.
The driver of the vehicle died as a result of the crash. Her front-seat passenger, a 21-year-old man from Carlisle, also died at the scene of the car accident.
There were also two passengers seated in the backseat of the car, a 20-year-old male and a 19-year-old female. Both were transported to Penn State Hershey Medical Center to be treated for their injuries.
Whenever someone dies or is injured in a car accident, family members will want answers as to why the car accident occurred. Determining who is responsible for a car crash can help bring closure, as well as provide an opportunity to hold a negligent driver accountable for their actions.
In this case, the families of the deceased passenger and of the two hospitalized injured victims will need to wait for the final determination of the investigation into why this accident occurred. At this point, it appears that the driver’s negligence caused the crash. If so, this needless loss of life and the injuries sustained by the back seat passengers could have been prevented. If such is the case, the family members may have claims for wrongful death and personal injuries against the estate of the deceased driver.
Source: WGAL.com, “2 Killed, 2 Hospitalized In Cumberland County Crash,” Sept. 21, 2011