Controversial Car Wreck Kills West Covina Teenager

A 19-year-old woman with a full athletic scholarship to a local University and plans to become a doctor, is now in a California mortuary.

According to witnesses, the young woman was picking up her little sister from a friend’s birthday party when a driver ran a stop sign and smacked into the side of her vehicle. Emergency responders rushed the woman to a nearby hospital, where she was later declared dead.

Witnesses disagree about the other facts. One said that he heard a gunning motor right before the crash. “My brother has petitioned for a traffic signal. He’s asked for speed bumps here,” this witness added. Another witness said one of the vehicle occupants smelled of alcohol.

Results of a criminal investigation into this wreck are unavailable and no charges are pending at the time this article was written.

The Role of Eyewitness Testimony in Car Accident Claims

Eyewitness testimony is often a key component in car accident claims. However, due to varying perceptions and memory biases, witness statements can sometimes conflict. Attorneys must carefully assess the credibility of eyewitnesses and look for corroborative evidence, such as video footage, to strengthen their case. In cases where eyewitness accounts are inconsistent, accident reconstruction experts become even more crucial in piecing together a clear picture of what happened.

Evidence in Car Crash Claims

People see things differently. So, witness inconsistency is not unusual in these cases. In fact, it’s usually a good thing. If several people see the same thing and say the same thing, that usually means they got together to get their stories straight or someone coached them.

The police accident report is usually different. One officer usually composes it, so it usually has one firm conclusion.

Usually, but not always. Fatal accidents are usually an exception. If the victim didn’t survive, the officer’s report obviously only contains one side of the story.

In these cases, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney often partners with an accident reconstruction engineer. These professionals take tiny bits of physical evidence and painstakingly reconstruct the accident. Furthermore, these well-credentialed experts usually resonate very well with jurors.

Electronic evidence, such as a vehicle’s Event Data Recorder, could be important as well. An EDR is a lot like a commercial jet’s flight data recorder. Most EDRs measure and record items like vehicle speed and steering angle.

Specific, reliable evidence like this is especially useful for an accident reconstructionist. In fact, the expert-EDR combination is often a powerful one-two punch which virtually assures fair compensation in many cases.

Damages in a Wrongful Death Vehicle Collision Claim

California law usually allows wrongful death plaintiffs to recover pecuniary losses. This category usually includes:

• Medical bills related to the decedent’s final injury or illness,
• Lost future emotional support,
• Compensation for the decedent’s pain and suffering,
• Lost future financial support, and
• Funeral and burial expenses.

Many of these damage categories, especially, lost future support, are difficult to calculate. How does a person put a dollar figure on the future earnings of a 19-year-old athlete/scholar? And how can anyone put a price tag on something like lost future emotional support?

Evaluating Lost Potential and Future Planning in Wrongful Death Cases

In Wrongful Death Claims, calculating the full extent of lost potential is often complex. For a 19-year-old athlete, the future contributions to the family, community, and economy can be difficult to quantify. Expert economists, actuaries, and life care planners are often brought in to estimate the value of lost earning potential, career trajectory, and non-economic losses like companionship and emotional support. These estimates aim to provide a fair representation of the decedent’s potential life contributions.

Once again, most attorneys partner with experts in these situations. Accountants usually handle the financial calculations, and psychologists deal with emotional issues. Their conclusions need only provide a jury with rough financial figures. Individual jurors are more than capable of handling things from there.

Contact Our Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Today!

Car crash victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a Free Consultation with an experienced California personal injury Lawyer, contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. You have a limited amount of time to act.

Photo Credit: Davide Ragusa on Unsplash