Most personal injury claims in the United States, including Pennsylvania, follow from motor vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, those who make these claims have usually sustained serious injuries ranging from broken bones to spinal cord injuries to brain injuries. And some motor vehicle accidents take lives in just seconds.
One such sudden and unexpected death occurred recently in West Goshen Township west of Philadelphia. A town dentist, and elected official, was killed when a woman lost control of her pickup in a ShopRite store. According to town officials, the man was at the store on his lunch break to buy a few things for his wife when the pickup driver apparently put her vehicle into reverse by mistake and struck the man and then traveled through an exterior wall at the store.
A veteran of the U.S. Navy, the victim had been an active resident participant in local government since 1980. He was elected town supervisor in 1992 and was recently reelected. He worked as a dentist for 40 years, most recently in a practice with his son in a nearby clinic. Local authorities say the pickup driver was cooperating with the car accident investigation. Witnesses described her as hysterical following the accident. It is not yet known whether criminal charges will be filed.
The vast majority of car accidents happen in places other than parking lots — streets, roads and highways. Regardless of its location, any accident has the potential to injure and kill those in and outside vehicles, which is why drivers must always be vigilant whenever they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. A victim’s car accident injuries can be determined to be the fault of a careless driver and subject to a personal injury lawsuit. The family of anyone killed may be able to file a wrongful death suit.
Source: CBS Philly, “West Goshen Township Supervisor Fatally Struck By Vehicle Outside ShopRite,” Diana Rocco, Aug. 13, 2014