Man enters not-guilty plea after fatal Massachusetts crash

A June accident in Sharon resulted in the death of a 20-year-old pedestrian. According to authorities, the 44-year-old male driver was speeding when he swerved out of the lane, jumped the curb and hit the victim while she was jogging. The impact threw the her 78 feet in the air. The driver was charged with speeding, driving on a suspended license and motor vehicle homicide and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

According to court documents, the alleged negligent driver has a driving record that goes back almost 30 years. His driving record includes several charges of driving on a suspended license, 10 speeding tickets and 10 accidents where he was at-fault. The court documents also state that he had taken three rum and cokes prior to the accident but that he passed field sobriety tests.

A pedestrian accident, especially when there is a fatality involved, can negatively affect a family emotionally and financially. In a case where a jogger is injured by an out-of-control car, they might sustain traumatic injuries even if that person survives the impact. This can require several months of costly rehabilitation.

After a fatal pedestrian accident, family members might be left with final expenses that they did not anticipate. This is often especially true in the case of younger accident victims who may not have felt a need to possess life insurance or arrange for funeral and burial expenses. However, through a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the party that caused the crash, a family might be reimbursed for such damages. An attorney who is familiar with personal injury lawsuits and pedestrian accident cases may be able to help those individuals file the claim in civil court.

Source: MyFoxBoston.com, “Sharon man pleaded not guilty in fatal pedestrian crash”, July 09, 2014