Few automobile accident victims have the chance to prepare for their accidents before they happen. A victim may only have a split second of realization about what is going to happen before his vehicle is hit by another auto. In many cases, car accident victims never see their accidents coming.
In 2014, a woman from the Chicago suburb of Geneva was in a violent car accident with a city employee. The city employee was driving a city vehicle when he sped through a stop sign and was struck by the woman’s car. The woman was unable to stop before colliding with the city truck, and as a result of the accident the city employee was killed.
The female driver suffered injuries in the crash, as did her son and daughter who were traveling as passengers in her vehicle. She has since sued the estate of the deceased driver as well as the city of Geneva where that driver was employed. She is seeking compensation for her losses, which in addition to her injuries include distress and her inability to return to the activities of her daily life. She is also seeking damages for the losses her kids sustained in the deadly incident.
There are few feasible ways to stop imminent car accidents. Drivers can take precautions to keep themselves safe in the event their cars crash into others, but when a collision is seconds away there is often little a driver can do to prevent it. Just as the victims in this story have done, however, other auto accident victims can exercise their rights and pursue compensation from the parties who created their pain and suffering with personal injury civil claims.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Woman hurt in car accident sues Geneva, former city employee,” Marwa Eltagouri, June 12, 2015
