Police Searching for Cause of Deadly Casino Crash
Authorities are still searching for the cause of an automobile accident that occurred in Las Vegas, Nevada earlier this week which involved a Pontiac Vibe crashing into the Edgewater Hotel & Casino, killing two people and injuring eight others. Witnesses reportedly saw the vehicle speed through a red light and down the casino’s driveway at speeds of over sixty miles per hour before running into the casino. The seventy year-old driver of the vehicle said that he fainted before the vehicle crashed into the casino, but investigators are not ruling out mechanical problems with the Vibe as being the cause of the accident. Although the Vibe is a joint venture between Toyota and GM, the potential problems with this vehicle are reportedly not linked to the recent Toyota recalls.
Although authorities have not been able to determine the cause of the accident, their eventual findings will be critical to the victims of the case. The party responsible for the accident will potentially be facing personal injury and product liability claims from ten different parties, which more than likely will consist of a couple of wrongful death suits and numerous claims for medical expenses and damages depending on the circumstances. If the automakers are found liable for a mechanical defect in the vehicle, the victims will have a greater chance of recovering the full amounts of the damages and medical expenses that would potentially be awarded since automakers generally have a greater capacity to compensate victims than does your average seventy year-old man.
Even if authorities are unable to find a primary cause of the accident, Tennessee law would still provide the victims with a chance to recover. The victims would be able to file claims against all parties that they believe to be responsible for the crash and would then get the opportunity at trial to prove that each of the defendants was liable, at least in part, for their damages.
Tennessee is a comparative fault state, so the jury would then have to decide which of the defendants is responsible for the crash, and to what extent. Damages and medical expense awards would then be assessed against each defendant in proportion to that defendant’s responsibility for the wreck. As indicated above, the portion of fault that is attributable to each party can greatly affect the victims’ ability to receive compensation for their damages.
Sources: http://news.findlaw.com/ap/other/1110/02-04-2010/20100204012009_04.html
