Car accidents are often caused by the carelessness of one or more drivers. Carelessness can be in the form of a distraction, such as the radio or a cell phone, or it can be in the form of impatience, such as drivers in too big of a hurry to get to where they are going. The damage from some car accidents can have long-lasting impacts — financially, physically and emotionally. One woman is experiencing first-hand the implications of careless driving while on a highway in Colorado.
The woman, driving an SUV, was headed north on U.S. Highway 550 at a speed approximately 28 mph over the posted limit just before 6 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2015. She hit the back end of a sedan, causing the sedan to spin into the southbound lane and collide head-on with a pickup truck. The woman driving the sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. Her passenger and a passenger in the pickup truck were injured but both survived the incident.
The SUV driver was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and careless driving. She signed a plea agreement and pleaded guilty before the judge presiding over the case. She could be sentenced to a prison term of up to two years at her sentencing next month.
A report on the incident did not indicate whether the family of the deceased woman intends to take legal action against the SUV driver. Should they decide to do so, they would be within their rights to seek a monetary judgment for all documented financial losses. When car accidents cause serious injuries or result in fatalities, victims — or the surviving families of deceased victims — may benefit by speaking to an experienced Colorado personal injury attorney who can give some insight as to how to proceed.
Source: durangoherald.com, “Farmington woman pleads guilty to vehicular homicide“, Shane Benjamin, March 3, 2016