As Worcester residents turn the page on 2014, many are starting off the New Year with unexpected challenges. Those are the families and victims of auto accidents, the kind that tend to spike in frequency right around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
In one community east of Worcester, the early hours of 2015 saw a deadly multi-car accident. Reportedly, in the moments leading up to the crash, two vehicles were driving side-by-side — one of them in the wrong lane, heading into oncoming traffic. Police are still investigating the cause of the auto accident which resulted in one of the vehicles flipping over and getting struck by a third vehicle. The 17-year-old driver of the vehicle that flipped was killed, and another driver was taken to the hospital.
Just a few hours later and a bit further towards the coast, a pedestrian was also struck and killed. This time, the driver was a police officer responding to a call. The victim, a young man in his early twenties, appeared to have been lying in the road when he was hit by the police car. It’s unclear at this point why the victim may have been lying down in the road.
The tragic loss or serious injury of a young person in a car collision is never something a family can prepare for. In addition to the psychological shock and grief, there may be medical expenses and other costs to deal with. When a negligent driver — perhaps a drunk driver, or one who is texting and driving — is responsible for such an accident, a personal injury lawsuit may help victims obtain compensation for their losses.
New Year’s Eve unfortunately means many drinking and getting behind the wheel. Maybe some are texting and driving, trying to find their friends or the location of the next party. A legal professional can help accident victims and families hold these drivers accountable.
