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Wrongful death: Heroin possibly a factor in fatal accident

The influence of drugs and/or alcohol can significantly reduce a person’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. Individuals who choose to drive while impaired can jeopardize the safety of everyone nearby. Accidents that occur under similar circumstances often end in catastrophe. A recent crash in West Virginia resulted in the apparent wrongful death of a man that fell as far as 80 feet following the incident.

According to authorities, the accident took place on a bridge on I-64 and involved two semis and three cars. One of the cars was reportedly pushed over the side of the bridge, subsequently falling more than 80 feet before hitting the ground. According to the family, the driver of the car suffered traumatic brain injuries and has since passed away.

Police have advised that the driver that instigated the collision may have been under the influence of heroin at the time. This type of negligence has led to the untimely death of countless individuals in the past. Although no charges have been reported so far, whenever a driver is found guilty of driving under the influence, resulting in a fatal accident, the resulting conviction constitutes negligence per se in a related civil claim for wrongful death.

Losing a loved one in an accident is a tragedy that no family should have to experience. When facing such a stressful situation, a family may choose to pursue compensation through the civil justice system. With the complex nature of the process, families in West Virginia often retain the services of an attorney for assistance in filing a wrongful death claim against the party or parties deemed culpable for their loss.

Source: wsaz.com, “UPDATE: Family say man dies after car plummets off I-64 bridge“, Dan Klein, Chad Hedrick and Andrew Colegrove, April 28, 2017

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