A tragedy recently occurred on I-5 in California. Two vehicles were involved, one of which was reportedly pulling a trailer at the time. Investigators are continuing their search for clues regarding the fatal collision, which resulted in the deaths of five people.
Investigators have so far determined that a 46-year-old man was behind the wheel of a vehicle that was traveling northbound moments before the crash occurred. For a reason still unknown, the man’s vehicle careened across the dividing lane on the highway and headed straight into the path of a pickup truck traveling southbound. Lanes heading in both directions were shut down to traffic for hours following the tragic collision.
Occupants of one vehicle in the fatal collision were not wearing seat restraints
The driver of the vehicle that veered out of its lane was not wearing a seat belt at the time. Neither were his three passengers, one of whom was an 8-year-old child. All four people suffered fatal injuries in the collision. The occupants of the pickup truck were, in fact, wearing proper seat restraints.
However, the impact of the collision caused a 48-year-old female passenger to suffer serious injuries. She was transported to a nearby hospital for emergency care. Sadly, the driver did not survive his injuries. In the past, many similar incidents of fatal collision were determined to have been caused by driver negligence. In such cases, an immediate family member of a decedent may file a wrongful death claim in civil court to seek restitution on behalf of his or her loved one.