The woman who hit the victim has not been charged with a crime at this point, though police are still investigating the circumstances of the accident. While there may be no criminal charges in this incident, civil litigation is an appropriate option to consider and can be pursued by the victim's family. Medical bills, funeral costs and other expenses can become a burden for a family, and monetary compensation may be warranted in a pedestrian accident that was caused by the negligence of another party.
This was the third pedestrian fatality of 2013 in Worcester. The preliminary evidence suggests the man was not in a crosswalk when the tragedy occurred at just about 9:30 p.m. The driver did stop, and authorities are presumably continuing to investigate the car accident.
Most Massachusetts drivers follow traffic laws and respect the rights of others, including pedestrians and other vehicles. It is too early to say what the result of this pedestrian accident investigation will be. The victim's family will surely follow its progress and may benefit by gaining an understanding of their rights in our state wrongful death statute. If the evidence ultimately suggests that the car driver negligently caused or contributed to the fatal accident, civil litigation may be an appropriate option to seek recovery of financial damages sustained.
Source: necn.com, "Worcester, Mass. Police investigate fatal pedestrian accident," Mike Cronin, July 1, 2013
