4 injured, 3 killed in wrong-way accident in Mercer County

It is an absolute tragedy when someone is killed in a car accident, especially if the accident could have been prevented. Fatal car accidents affect more than just the person who was killed, but his or her family, friends and the community, too. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why family members choose to file wrongful death lawsuits after the loss of a loved one. When it is clear that someone else’s negligence has caused a death, that person (or his or her estate) can be held responsible for the fatal crash.

As of now, there is no word on whether the family members of a 17-year-old and a 50-year-old, both killed when another 17-year-old drifted into oncoming traffic and caused a head-on collision, will file wrongful death lawsuits. As the Mercer County accident is investigated by Sharon Police, the two families may try to hold liable the high school senior who was driving.

The accident happened earlier this month in the town of Sharon. The teenager behind the wheel was driving home from a football game with three of his classmates when he inexplicably drove into oncoming traffic. His Mazda SUV smashed into the 50-year-old’s pickup truck, causing the serious accident. Unfortunately, both the teenage driver and one of his passengers died at the scene of the crash. His other two passengers were seriously injured and taken to the hospital.

The 50-year-old was taken from the wreckage and rushed to Sharon Regional Health System hospital, but he died shortly thereafter. His two passengers, a 10- and 12-year-old, were both injured, as well.

This is a tragic accident to be sure, but it remains to be seen what happened to cause the teenage driver to cross the center line.

Source: CBS Pittsburgh, “Mercer Co. Car Crash Leaves 3 Dead,” Bob Allen, Nov. 9, 2013