A recent auto accident in Tennessee claimed two lives in a crossover incident which remains unexplained pending further investigation. A 27-year-old woman from Murfreesboro was heading east on State Route 840 West in Rutherford County when she lost control of her vehicle, crossed the median and crashed head-on into another car. The woman reportedly was ejected from her vehicle and hit by a Ford Ranger in this deadly multi-vehicle car crash.
The woman died in the accident, as did the 50-year-old male driver of the 2012 Nissan Maxima that she hit head-on in the westbound land of the highway. The Nissan also had a passenger who was injured. The accident occurred at 2:30 p.m. near West Jefferson Pike. The Tennessee Highway Patrol has not issued an investigative report at this point.
There is little doubt that the deceased woman’s estate will be liable for damages to the estate of the deceased man and to his injured passenger. The various causes of a crossover accident all generally involve some form of improper or negligent operation of the vehicle. Distraction, impairment, and falling asleep are probably the three major causes triggering this kind of tragic occurrence.
The damages that may be claimed by the male decedent’s estate from a fatal car crash would include possible pain and suffering, loss of life’s pleasures, medical expenses, burial and funeral costs, lost wages and permanent loss of earning capacity. The lost earning capacity over the remainder of the man’s estimated life expectancy is generally proved by the testimony of an economic expert such as an actuary. The gross amount is generally reduced to its discounted present-day value after adding various economic factors, such as cost-of-living increases, in a mathematical formula recognized by the courts. In Tennessee and other states, the general purpose of wrongful death damages is to restore the economic value of the decedent’s expectant life to his family members.
Source: wkrn.com, “2 killed in crash on SR 840 in Rutherford County”, Sept. 2, 2015