The next time you have car trouble and are forced to pull over on the interstate, remember this: The side of the road is a corridor of danger that even trained police officers and emergency personal avoid at all costs. Recently, a woman was killed while attempting to change a flat tire on the High Rise Bridge on I-64 in Chesapeake, Virginia (VA), and got struck by her own car and thrown into traffic.
There is no shoulder on the bridge where the woman was hit. A pickup truck rear-ended the back of her car, causing it to roll into her. This created a chain-reaction accident when a SUV hit the back of the pickup. The woman died at the scene of the accident.
As a Virginia Beach personal injury attorney, I have seen my share of accidents but know that anytime a pedestrian is hit by a car, the consequences are often devastating, if not fatal. What should you do if you find yourself in this precarious situation?
We know that you can never predict when you will have car trouble in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk or Portsmouth, VA. But you can be prepared. Always pull your car as far off the road and onto the shoulder or median as possible. Try to avoid hovering in or near your car when it is disabled, especially at night or when road visibility is not optimal. If you have done all of the above and another driver does stray onto the shoulder and injures or kills the driver or passengers, then that person may be liable for a wrongful death claim.
Losing someone you love is a heart-wrenching experience. Our Virginia personal injury firm has written a wrongful death consumer guide for anyone who has lost a loved one in a car accident. This report was written for grieving loved ones looking to achieve some semblance of justice against the at-fault individual or company.
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