Death is not something that is dealt with easily for most. Even more painful is when the death of a family member or friend is untimely and at the hands of negligent parties. An allegedly intoxicated driver recently caused an accident in Texas, in which a woman was tragically killed while she was a passenger in a police car.
It began with the arrest of the young woman for public intoxication. She had been handcuffed and placed in the back seat of the cruiser, unbuckled. Once the cruiser was in motion, another vehicle then ran a red light and crashed into the back of the police car. The woman was ejected from the vehicle upon impact and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The female driver of the second vehicle had reportedly admitted to visiting a bar before driving that night; she was charged with intoxicated manslaughter. Both the driver and the passenger of her vehicle were taken to the local medical facility for non-life-threatening injuries. The officer driving the squad car was also treated for minor injuries.
Even though the driver of the vehicle that instigated the crash was arrested and charged, she may not be the only person held responsible for the victim’s death. Because the officer did not put a seatbelt on the woman after he placed her in the back seat, he may be one of the negligent parties held accountable for the Texas woman’s death. The family of the victim may want to file a personal injury claim for wrongful death against all those responsible. Doing so would allow the family to handle the final expenses they will now face since losing their loved one.
Source: Chron.com, Suspect killed in HPD squad car crash near downtown, Dale Lezon, Oct. 3, 2013
