A man who lost control of his car on a rural highway and ran across the median outside of Kearneysville, West Virginia (WV), caused a four-vehicle wreck that lead to the death an innocent woman. The fatal wrong-way collision happened in Jefferson County near the interchange between Middleway Pike and Leetown at around 2:30 am on October 16, 2016.
Police could not immediately determine why the at-fault driver left his side of the road and wound up in the path of oncoming traffic. Possible explanations include falling asleep at the wheel and driving drunk. Either could make keeping a car under control impossible, and both set the stage for thousands of crashes that leave people injured and killed.
Whatever happened, it seems certain that a woman, identified in multiple news reports as 68-year-old Margaret Dove of Woodbridge, Virginia (VA), would still be alive if the man who hit her head on had operated his own vehicle safely. Sadly, that man also lost his life in the collision. This could complicate efforts of the deceased woman’s family members to file and collect on wrongful death insurance claims.
The insurance policy of a person who dies after causing a wreck remains in effect until all legitimate claims are resolved. That is the law, but an insurance company can delay and block claims by arguing that collecting and assessing information has become impossible with the death of its policyholder. Securing advice and representation from a Virginia wrongful death attorney who will fight through such obstruction and obfuscation from an insurer will help the family secure the compensation and damages they deserve.
EJL