Each year, numerous residents and visitors to Hawaii’s big island lose their lives on its roadways. These car accidents are due to various factors, and it is the job of the island’s law enforcement officials to find out exactly what happened. In many cases, the cause is not clear in the first few hours and requires further investigation.
One of the most recent deadly crashes took the life of a Hawaiian resident. Preliminary reports reveal that the mother of two was traveling on Highway 11 around 5 p.m. Around mile marker 21, a pickup truck slammed into her car. An off-duty officer happened upon the wreck and successfully got the Puna woman out of the vehicle, along with her infant daughter. The infant, who had been restrained appropriately in a car seat, was transported to a hospital in the area to be examined as a precaution.
The mother suffered fatal injuries in the crash. The driver of the pickup truck reportedly did not suffer any injuries. That section of roadway was closed for nearly five hours while police conducted their investigation the on-site phase of their investigation. Investigators are still attempting to ascertain whether factors such as impairment or speed led to the deadly crash.
These are also answers that the victim’s surviving family members will surely want to know as they deal with the news of her death. The factors that led to the crash could serve as evidence needed to establish negligence on the part of the pickup truck driver in a wrongful death claim, should the family choose to pursue a claim for financial relief. As is the case in other fatal car accidents, successfully litigating their claim could result in an award of damages, and any restitution received could be used to help provide for her children in her absence.
Source: hawaiinewsnow.com, “Police identify woman in fatal Puna car crash“, June 18, 2016