Police investigators in Liberty, South Carolina reported April 8 that a man from Anderson, South Carolina is facing several charges after he led officers on a police chase that ended with a crash that killed another driver.
Police officers in South Carolina tried to pull over a 29 year old male because of a problem with his brake lights. The driver then took off and led the police on a chase. The crash ended tragically when the driver crossed into oncoming traffic on US 123 and hit a car driven by a 59 year old male from Easley, South Carolina.
According to the arrest warrant, the 29 year old driver was in possession of methamphetamine and marijuana.
Our View
Our hearts go out the family of the innocent man who died in this fatal South Carolina car accident. USA Today reported in 2015 that more than 5,000 innocent people have been killed in police car chases since 1979. Thousands more were hurt as police officers were in pursuit of errant drivers. These accidents should never happen. People who run from the police when they are pulled over should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
However, even if the guilty driver spends several years in prison, this punishment is not enough if his or her reckless actions killed an innocent person. Innocent people who are going about their business having their lives ended for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time should never, ever happen. More punishment is needed to encourage people to drive responsibly.
That is why our personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Virginia and North Carolina regularly file wrongful death lawsuits against reckless drivers. Suing a reckless driver for potentially millions of dollars might be an effective deterrent for driving dangerously, we hope.
Another good reason to file wrongful death charges in deadly car accidents is that the family left behind is often left in financial ruin. Very often a breadwinner in these tragic crashes is killed, and the family may lose their home, cars, and children could be left homeless.
We often handle cases where a driver acted recklessly and killed an innocent person, but we were able to help the grieving family to get the financial justice they deserved. We recently won a $1.25 million wrongful death arbitration case in North Carolina where our client’s disabled work truck was rear ended at high speed, killing him instantly. The man had activated his flashers on the side of the road, and still he was hit and killed by a reckless driver.
We were pleased that we could help the family at least move on financially with an award of $1.25 million.
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