A multi-vehicle accident in Tennessee around midday on March 2 left one person dead. The accident occurred at a stoplight at Airport Road and Memorial Boulevard near the Murfreesboro Airport. A pickup truck was rear-ended by a dump truck, and the pickup hit another vehicle. That vehicle in turn hit a fourth.
Despite being flown to a hospital nearby, the driver of the pickup truck died. The dump truck driver was uninjured, and according to reports, the other two drivers did not have any serious injuries.
Witnesses reported seeing and hearing the crash. One woman reported that it sounded like a bomb had gone off. Another said that from the way the accident looked, she thought the pickup truck driver may not have survived.
The family of an individual who is killed in a car accident like this one may wish to file a wrongful death suit against the responsible driver. If the driver was driving a company vehicle at the time as in this case, their employer may be culpable as well. A company might also have policies that contribute to the danger of a driver having an accident, such as not permitting enough rest time for its workers in order to avoid fatigue.
In assessing responsibility for an accident and deciding on an appropriate compensation amount, a jury may weigh a number of factors regarding the impact on the surviving family members. For example, if the individual killed had dependents and a high earning potential, the award may be higher to compensate for their loss.