Eighty-Two Year-Old Man Killed in Garage Accident
While this blog often discusses accidents that happen in heavy-traffic areas, interstate highways, or other dangerous locations, it is worth noting that auto accidents do occur, and can be just as deadly, in parking lots, garages, and other places not generally thought of as overly dangerous. The unfortunate truth is that negligent driving in places like garages and parking lots can often lead to auto accident-related deaths, especially where pedestrians are involved. A good example of this comes from Dickinson, North Dakota this week, where an elderly man was killed when a nineteen year-old driver backed into him while he was backing out of a stall at an auto garage. The driver was reportedly backing very slowly when he hit the man, and the man was rushed to a local hospital, but he was unable to survive.
This illustrates how one moment of negligent driving in a seemingly safe location can lead to disastrous consequences. While it is not certain that the driver of the vehicle was negligent in this situation, Tennessee law imposes a duty on drivers to keep a proper lookout at all times when they are driving. Certainly, a driver should be aware of what is behind him when backing out, and giving the age of the victim it is unlikely that the victim rapidly appeared behind the car out of nowhere. Failure to keep a proper lookout for even a moment can result in a driver being responsible for the death of another person which can give rise to criminal charges and a personal injury suit in which persons related to the victim may seek to sue the driver for the wrongful death of the victim.
This situation is very unfortunate and proves that even the slightest incident of negligence can be fatal. Drivers who have made such mistakes and victims of such incidents both need to seek the advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer who can assist them in dealing with the civil and criminal law consequences that emerge from the accident.
Source: http://www.kxnet.com/custom404.asp?404;http://www.kxnet.com/news/565346.asp
