What Happened
Crystal Burgsteiner, a native of Newport News, was in her car on the shoulder of I-664 in Chesapeake, Virginia (VA), when her life came to an abrupt end. A tractor-trailer slammed into Burgsteiner’s vehicle from behind. She was only 27 years old.
A family member informed WAVY-TV 10 that Burgsteiner was a mother of two young boys and expecting another child. The driver of the tractor-trailer is now facing a charge of reckless driving for failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle.
This is a heartbreaking accident and our deepest sympathies go out to the Burgsteiner family and to her fiancé. Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences anyone has to suffer in life, but the pain is made even worse when the victim is both young and had small children who will now be forced to grow up without a parent.
Woman killed in crash was expecting: wavy.com
The Virginia Personal Injury Lawyers’ Perspective
The Burgsteiner family probably has grounds to file a wrongful death claim against the truck driver. The trucker reportedly suffered a health emergency that caused him to run off the road. Nevertheless, if the trucker had a preexisting medical condition and consciously took the risk of getting behind the wheel, he could potentially be held civilly liable for the fatal crash. Furthermore, under the doctrine of respondeat superior, the trucking company could potentially be held liable if it should have reasonably known of the trucker’s condition.
Potentially Helpful Info
Our Chesapeake injury law firm published an in-depth legal guide to what to do if you or a loved one has been the victim of a serious trucking accident. Also, an attorney with our firm, Emily Mapp Brannon, has written about the pain associated with accidents involving pregnant drivers.
Have Questions? Check out our VA law firm’s FAQs.
We also have an extensive list of FAQs regarding truck accidents.
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