A recent Wisconsin vehicle accident has made national headlines for the tragic outcome it included. Several young girls associated with the Girl Scouts and an adult were picking up garbage in a highway ditch near Lake Hallie when a pick-up truck left the road and collided with them. Three of the youths and the adult were killed in the collision and one child is still fighting for her life.
This senseless tragedy happened in the late morning and new information suggests that the driver of the pick-up truck was impaired at the time of the crash. He admitted that he had been huffing before the crash. Huffing involves the inhalation of chemicals to get a high from the vapors.
While the driver is now facing a long list of criminal charges, the small community of Chippewa Falls that the deceased parties came from is reeling over the loss. Accident investigators have stated that the girls and adults were wearing bright vests and would have been visible to the driver before the fatal collision. Following the accident, the driver fled the scene of the incident but later turned himself into local authorities.
This heartbreaking case sadly gives readers of this personal injury legal blog a very real example of how negligence and recklessness may cause fatal motor vehicle accidents. When a roadway fatality occurs, there is always the possibility that a wrongful death claim may be appropriate given the circumstances of the situation. Attorneys may be able to provide the loved ones of these victims with some support to help them understand what options they have to seek compensation for their devastating losses.
