Hearse Involved in Hit-and-Run, Catches on Fire
Respect for the dead may not be the only reason to clear the roadway for funeral processions anymore. A hearse driver from Pinole, California recently caused all sorts of havoc on the roadway when he decided to drive drunk while transporting a body on Friday afternoon. The hearse was reportedly involved in a hit-and-run and caught on fire after the vehicle got a flat tire and was driven on the rim. Law enforcement officials were called after the hearse caught fire and arrived to find it parked on the side of the road, engulfed in flames. Thankfully, the driver was able to escape the fiery hearse and safely remove the coffin before the vehicle became completely consumed by the flames.
There are several different examples of negligent driving in this scenario. The first and most obvious is driving under the influence. Simply put, it is never reasonable to drive while under the influence of an intoxicant and a driver who does so risks being responsible for serious injuries and substantial damages suffered by victims of any accident caused by the intoxicated driver. Driving on a flat tire can also be a source of liability in a personal injury suit. Driving in a reasonable manner means driving when your car is in a safe and drivable condition. Thus, driving on a flat tire or driving on the rim of the wheel constitutes negligent driving because it creates unsafe driving conditions for the vehicle. To see an example of this, one needs to look no further than the scenario detailed above where driving on the rim made the vehicle catch fire, endangering the lives of the driver and anyone else who got near the fiery car on the roadway.
The third possible source of liability in the above situation is committing a hit-and run. It is not always negligent to be involved in an auto accident, but it is negligent to drive away from the scene of the accident rather than stopping to assist anyone else who was involved in the accident and reporting the accident to the police.
Any of these three activities can be a potential source of liability for drivers in Tennessee should someone’s person or property be injured as a result of the driver’s negligent conduct. Such conditions make the roadways less safe both for the driver and those around them, which can lead to serious injury, death, and damages, all three of which a driver may be found responsible for in a personal injury suit.
