A recent Missouri tragedy left first responder units, law enforcement agencies and citizens mourning the loss of a dedicated young man who served as a Mansfield firefighter and EMT. He was sitting in a pickup truck with a police officer when disaster struck. The police officer suffered critical injuries that required intensive care and surgery.
The two men were working together that day in a ride-along when a pickup truck heading in the opposite direction veered over the centerline and crashed into their vehicle. A 21-year-old man was behind the wheel. Sadly, the firefighter was pronounced dead at the scene. The police officer’s family and many other community officials and citizens have expressed their sympathy as preparations were made to lay him to rest.
The man driving the wayward vehicle was drunk
The Mansfield police chief said that the entirely avoidable collision was caused by a drunk driver. The man who caused the accident is now in jail with a special conditions bond set at $50,000. He faces multiple criminal charges, including DWI resulting in death.
Wrongful death claim
When a drunk driver has an accident that results in a fatality, an immediate family member of the victim can seek justice in civil court. A successful claim involves proving in court that the named defendant’s negligence was the proximate cause of the accident and death that resulted. Families often use compensation awarded in such cases to help cover funeral expenses and other financial losses in the aftermath of a vehicular tragedy.