1 dead, 1 injured in car accident in New York

Another wrong-way crash has claimed a life on Route 17, according to local law enforcement. New York State Police have reported that a 24-year-old man is dead and a second 24-year-old man has been seriously injured in a car accident that appears to have been caused by one driver going the wrong way on the route. Police have not yet determined the reason for this behavior, but the investigation is still underway. 

Police have confirmed that the male driver of the first vehicle was traveling east in the westbound lanes of Route 17 on the evening of Dec. 28. His vehicle impacted another car traveling in the correct direction on the same road. The force of the impact apparently killed the first driver outright, and he was pronounced dead at the scene when emergency services arrived. 

The other driver suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a local hospital for treatment. So far, police have not commented on the possible reasons why the first driver was traveling the wrong way, but it seems likely that toxicology scans and witness statements will be requested in the ongoing investigation. Thankfully, no one else was harmed in the crash. 

Traveling the wrong way on a highway is already a violation of New York traffic laws, so it seems apparent that the driver of the first vehicle can be held posthumously responsible for this car accident. This means that the injured man will be entitled to file a personal injury suit not only against the estate of the deceased driver, but also any additional owners of the vehicle involved. Considering the evidence as it stands, such a suit may have a reasonable chance of success in a civil court setting.

Source: greenfieldreporter.com, ” Driver killed, another injured in wrong-way accident on NY’s Route 17 in Sullivan County”, Dec. 29, 2014