Eastern Arizona was the scene of a fatal car accident that may have been caused by a reckless (and criminal) driving action by an 18-year-old. The young man suddenly drove into the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. As a result, the 18-year-old’s vehicle collided with another vehicle, a Honda. Another collision occurred in the wake of this initial crash, as an empty trailer being towed by the 18-year-old’s truck detached and struck another vehicle.
Four people in the Honda, three of which were aged 18 or younger, died as a result of the initial crash. The 47-year-old wife of the Honda’s driver was killed. Her husband was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.
The police are investigating the crash and, though they haven’t announced anything official, they did draw the 18-year-old’s blood while he received treatment at a hospital. There could be criminal charges that stem from this crash — and if that is the case, the families of the deceased could seek wrongful death civil cases against the reckless 18-year-old driver.
Could the 18-year-old have been drunk? Apparently there are no indicators that he was, but his blood could tell the story. If he wasn’t drunk, could he have been texting or using his cellphone in some other way? Such distractions are far too common, and they can lead to devastating accidents.
Even if he wasn’t distracted by his cellphone, there are plenty of other ways that he could have been distracted or, at the very least, not focused on the road. This is unacceptable, and it would make any driver liable if proven.
Source: Eastern Arizona Courier, “Four dead in three-vehicle crash west of Bylas,” Jon Johnson, June 21, 2014