A young child suffered serious injuries and a female driver lost her life in a head-on collision in Cleveland County, west of Charlotte, on the morning of January 11, 2018. Another driver also needed hospital treatment for injuries following the crash near the intersection of Lake Montonia Road and Gold Mine School Road in the town of Kings Mountain.
Local police responded to the two-vehicle wreck a little before 9 am. They had all three people involved transported to CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia, where the woman was declared dead and the injured child remained in stable condition the following day.
Investigators could not immediately determine how the head-on collision happened or which driver was at fault. Anyone who may have witnessed the incident is being asked to share what they saw by calling (704) 734-0444.
Naming an at-fault driver will help the innocent victims file insurance claims for a wrongful death or personal injuries. Knowing the reason why one of the drivers crossed the double yellow center lines of Lake Montonia Road will also help claimants substantiate their accounts of how the other driver’s negligence or recklessness caused them harm.
Leading causes of head-on collisions include speeding around curves and becoming distracted behind the wheel. Driving too fast is a possible explanation for this fatal crash in Kings Mountain, as the wreck happened in a 45-mph zone as the road goes through two curves.
A driver can lose focus on keeping his or her vehicle to the right for many reasons. On its webpage devoted to the problem of distracted driving, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that drivers can experience three types of distraction:
- Visual by taking one’s eyes off the road,
- Manual by taking one’s hands off the steering wheel and
- Cognitive by letting one’s mind wander.
Examples of distracting, but very common, behaviors listed by the CDC include sending or reading a text message, talking on a cellphone, checking a GPS device and eating.
While the investigation into the fatal crash on Lake Montonia Road in Kings Mountain continues, the surviving driver, the parents of the injured child and the family of the woman who lost her life could benefit from consulting with a Carolina personal injury lawyer and wrongful death attorney. Enlisting the help of a dedicated plaintiff’s lawyer will let the victims stay up to date on the investigators’ findings and deal with insurance company representatives while they focus on their physical healing and emotional recoveries.
EJL