Officials charge Massachusetts man following fatal crash
A 26-year-old man is facing multiple charges in relation to a fatal accident in Carver, authorities reported. The August 3 incident reportedly occurred on Route 44 at approximately 1 a.m. and resulted in the death of a 36-year-old man. According to authorities, the 26-year-old man fled the scene of the accident but ultimately turned himself into the police later that day.
Officials booked the man into the Plymouth County House of Correction and charged him with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident resulting in death, with the latter charge alone carrying a minimum sentence of one year in jail. Upon being released from custody, a Wareham District Court judge ordered the man ‘to refrain from driving any type of vehicle,” authorities reported.
Regardless of the criminal charges filed in connection with a fatal car accident, certain family members of the victim who died may pursue civil action against the at-fault party. It is important to remember that criminal cases and civil cases are adjudicated independently from each other, even if they stem from the same incident and share the same defendant.
By retaining a wrongful death attorney and filing suit against the party whose actionable behavior caused the fatal accident, bereaved family members may seek financial compensation for the economic damages they suffered in relation to the fatal event. These damages may include funeral costs and burial expenses. Moreover, claimants in a wrongful death lawsuit might pursue restitution for lost earnings if the decedent had contributed income to dependents or the family household while alive. In order to prevail in such a lawsuit, bereaved family members and their wrongful death attorney must prove to a civil court that the at-fault party should be held responsible for the crash.
Source: Wicked Local Carter, “Carver man posts $10,000 cash bail following arraignment in fatal crash of Halifax man“, Kathryn Gallerani , August 04, 2014
