3 dead following car accident in New York

Police are still in the process of determining the cause of a serious accident on the Long Island Expressway in the early morning of Aug. 31. New York authorities responded to the fatal car accident that claimed three lives and injured several other people. Charges are not likely in this case, as the driver police believe to be responsible for the crash was among those who were killed. 

The accident report states that a 25-year-old man may have been speeding eastbound on the LIE around 4:20 a.m. when he lost control of his vehicle and slammed into a guard rail. The force of the impact tore the vehicle in half, causing further collisions with debris spread across the highway. Three people were ejected from the vehicle and were pronounced dead on the scene by arriving medical professionals. They included the driver. 

Two other passengers were taken to local hospitals. One is described as being in stable condition, while the other is in critical condition and under constant care. Police believe speeding was a factor in the crash, but they are not sure as of this report whether intoxication may also have played a role. The crash caused a later collision when a dump truck could not stop in time behind vehicles waylaid by the accident, causing a five-car pileup. 

If New York police are correct and the driver of the vehicle was speeding at the time of the car accident, this could constitute materially contributing to the crash. If this is the case, the families of the deceased and the injured parties would be in good standing to file wrongful death and/or personal injury suits against the driver’s estate and anyone else with ownership interest in the vehicle. These suits are considered civil in nature and are handled accordingly. 

Source: CBS New York, “3 Dead, Others Injured After Multi-Vehicle Crash On LIE In Queens“, Aug. 31, 2016