A 21 year-old man died after crashing into another car head-on in Knightdale, North Carolina in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 7, 2015, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
The crash occurred near Smithfield Road and Joyful Lane in Knightdale and was caused by the now-deceased driver crossing the center line of the street and striking the other vehicle. Troopers said that the driver who died was not wearing a seatbelt at the time.
The driver and passenger of the car that was struck were taken to WakeMed with injuries. Their current conditions are unknown. We hope that the injured parties recover and that their injuries are relatively minor. This accident is still being investigated by the Highway Patrol and we have confidence that the injured parties will be able to get some answers regarding what caused the driver to cross the center line of the road into oncoming traffic. More importantly, though accidents like these can be difficult to address because of the death of the driver, we hope the injured parties understand that they are still able to recover from a negligent driver for their medical expenses as a result of this accident.
Generally drivers are able to file personal injury claims against a deceased driver when he caused an accident. The injured parties here, the driver and passenger of the car that was hit, could still submit a claim against the driver’s insurance company and his estate, especially if their own insurance policy limits do not fully compensate them. As personal injury lawyers we understand how to negotiate with insurance companies and what is required to prove a personal injury claim in an auto accident.
In the past we took a case to trial which involved a passenger who suffered lower back injuries and missed time at work due to a car accident. We secured a $15,000 judgment for our client in that case. We have litigated several similar cases and want to hear from you if you would like us to advocate on your behalf.