On Friday, March 14th at about 9:45 p.m. in Spanaway, a female pedestrian was tragically killed when she was struck by a small pickup truck. The Washington State Patrol booked the 26 year-old male driver of the pickup into jail on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and vehicular homicide.
The accident occurred in the northbound lane of State Route 7 (also known as the Mountain View Highway) near 211th Street Court East. U.S. Army Officials have reportedly confirmed that the driver involved is a sergeant at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Fort Lewis. Troopers reportedly observed indicators of driver impairment. A blood draw test was taken and the results are pending.
A Wrongful Death Case?
This horrible accident occurred at night. Determining who is at fault for the victim’s death will take into account a number of factors such as vehicle speed, the point of impact and crosswalk usage if applicable. Based on the preliminary reports, it appears the driver failed to yield for a pedestrian in the roadway.
In addition to the driver of the pickup, there may also could possible be other liable parties such as if the driver was indeed under the influence, whom may have served him and if he was over-served. If there’s negligence involved, the victim’s family may pursue a wrongful death claim against the responsible parties.
While the tragedy of what occurred can’t be altered, a wrongful death lawsuit may help the family recover from the loss, providing resources to help make losing a loved one easier to handle financially. When the loss of family income or childcare occurs, the affects can cause considerable financial hardship for a family. Wrongful death lawyers can help families get the financial justice they deserve.
While the investigation into the facts of this case are still ongoing, what is clear is that drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol pose a serious danger to all on the roads and causes too many needless, horrific deaths and serious injuries.
