According to the accident report, shortly before 1:30 the afternoon of May 18, a vehicle traveling eastbound on Route 195 suddenly swerved right, across several lanes of eastbound traffic. The vehicle spun out when it entered the breakdown lane and was traveling backwards when it struck a tree. Police responded shortly thereafter.
One woman, a passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver, who has not been identified, suffered injuries described as life-threatening and was rushed to a local hospital. A juvenile passenger in the car, who has also not been identified, was also taken to a children's hospital for treatment. That individual's injuries are unknown as of this report.
In auto accidents wherein someone is killed, Massachusetts authorities typically investigate thoroughly to determine whether one or more drivers can be deemed materially responsible for the crash. In this case, it is possible driver error, negligence or recklessness could have been the cause of the crash. If this is the case, police may choose to file charges against the driver. Even if no criminal charges are filed, the families of the deceased woman and the injured juvenile are entitled to file wrongful death and/or personal injury suits against the driver in civil court.
Source: masslive.com, "1 killed, 1 suffers 'life threatening injuries' in car crash in Dartmouth; State Police investigating", Lucas Ropek, May 18, 2017
