Wrongful Death
Oklahoma City Man Killed in Weekend Car Accident
A 30-year-old man was killed in a two-car accident on Harrah Road near SE 59th street in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, according to NewsOK. The man was driving north on Harrah Road when he and another car, which was southbound, collided head-on. The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. Two adults and two children in the other car were injured; the adults are in critical condition. Oklahoma City police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office (OHSO), there have been between 267 and 1,070 traffic accident fatalities in the state yearly, from 1937-2009. The lowest number of 267 occurred in 1943, the highest of 1,070 occurred in 1982. In 2009, 737 people were killed in Oklahoma traffic accidents. Although 737 is a decrease from the1982 statistic, it is still a great number of lives lost and families torn apart. These accidents took children away from their parents, husbands from their wives, and sisters from their brothers, while causing many financial and emotional hardships.
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Arkansas Teen Killed in Tulsa Car Crash
A fatal accident took the life of a 17-year old Arkansas teen last week, reported KJRH.com. The girl was traveling with two friends in a Toyota Yaris when a white truck making a left hand turn collided with the vehicle. It is unclear whether the girl was driving or if it was another occupant of the Yaris. The fatal accident happened at the intersection of North Utica and Pine Ave. in Tulsa. The 17-year old was pronounced dead at the scene, police officials said. The other two teens as well as the driver of the truck were taken to a local area hospital with one admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. The extent of their injuries was not immediately available.
An investigation into the circumstances of this fatal Oklahoma car accident will reveal the cause. Other news sources reporting on this story say that the driver of the truck may have been drinking. If the driver is found to have been under the influence of alcohol, he could be found liable for the wrongful death of the teen as well as damages and injuries sustained by the other two Arkansas teens.
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Oklahoma City Medical Helicopter Crash Kills Two
According to an article from the Oklahoman, a medivac helicopter crashed during a flight to Okeene, OK to pick up a medical patient for transport. The helicopter carried a medical crew of three people, one pilot and two nurses.
Both the pilot and one of the nurses died when the helicopter crashed and burned four miles southeast of the destination. One investigator believes the third crew member may have survived because he was ejected from the helicopter as it crashed.
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Coal Shuttle Car Accident Kills Miner
An article from the Oklahoman, reports that a southern Illinois coal miner was killed when he was struck by a shuttle car that transported coal into the mine. Investigators say that the miner was a section foreman employee. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) had previously fined the miner’s employer $230,000 for past mine violations. The current workplace wrongful death is still under investigation.
The mine will be shut down until the investigation of the miner’s death is completed. The foreman’s death marks the 41st death related to a mining accident for 2010.
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Marble City Employee Killed in Grinder Accident
According to an online article in The Oklahoman, a 30-year-old man was killed in a work related accident at a lime plant. The employee was pulled into a grinder machine used for grinding lime and other minerals for a lime plant corporation as three men performed maintenance on the machine. The employee was killed instantly during the on-the-job accident.
Based on the report, rescue workers had to partially dismantle the machine in order to recover the employee’s body. The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Mine and Safety Health Administration. Statistics from the Oklahoma State Department of Health indicate that 21% of occupational fatalities were due to machine-related deaths between 1998 and 2006.
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Family Awarded $2.8 Million in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The grief that a family experiences in losing a loved one in a wrongful death incident cannot be expressed in words. The very unexpected and sudden nature of such accidents makes the loss all the more challenging and even financially debilitating in some cases when a family loses their sole wage earner.
A www.cleveland.com article discusses a wrongful death incident that began over an argument about fireworks. Apparently, a neighbor shot a gun in retaliation and out of anger at five people, killing three. This would typically seem more like a criminal court case; however, the family of the deceased victims also filed a wrongful death claim in civil court proceedings.
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Oil Tank Blast Kills 21-Year-Old-Man
A 21-year-old man was killed when he was severely burned during an oil tank blast, according to a News OK article. The Oklahoma wrongful death accident is still under investigation by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board to determine if any other circumstances caused the explosion.
Witnesses say the oil tank exploded, because the man was smoking a cigarette as he opened the hatch to the tank. As a result of the explosion, the man suffered various degrees of severe burns over a large portion of his body. Another man who accompanied the victim also endured serious burns on his arms as a result of the explosion. Both men had been walking across a path that connected two oil tanks together.
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Alachua County Woman Awarded Millions for Husband’s Tobacco Death
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, a widow was recently awarded a multi-million dollar settlement to be paid out by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. While a spokeswoman for the tobacco giant revealed that the company plans to appeal the decision, this verdict is nevertheless emblematic of negligent companies being forced to take responsibility when their products have caused harm to consumers. In the above mentioned case, the widow was awarded $5 million in damages and $12.5 million in punitive damages, all because the woman’s husband died from lung cancer, presumably after using R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. products.
Regardless of what type of product a person uses, the company responsible for that product has the obligation to manufacture a product that is free of defect, safe for consumers to use under normal conditions, and does not pose an unreasonable threat to a consumer’s well-being. In instances where a defective or faulty product harms a consumer, or if a product is improperly labeled or lacking an accurate warning notice, the consumer may be able to seek damages from the product’s manufacturer. Negligent manufacturer behavior can take multiple forms, but the most common types stem from the product’s initial design, the way the product is manufactured, and the way in which consumers are warned of potential hazards that a product poses via the product’s packaging and warning labels.
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Southwest OK DUI Accident Takes Child’s Life, Injures Sister
Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs often ends in tragedy. Personal injury up to and including wrongful death are prevalent in such types of cases, as a recent incident in southwest Oklahoma City illustrates. According to a news9.com article, a fatal accident involving a 60-year-old driver who was under-the-influence and a family of four ended with serious injuries befalling two children, one of whom lost his life.
Reportedly, the negligent driver ran into the family’s car while they were stopped at a red light near the intersection of I-240 Service Road and Western Avenue. The family’s car was consequently pushed into the intersection, where it was struck by a third vehicle attempting to make a left hand turn. The impaired driver deemed responsible for the accident then proceeded to crash his own vehicle into a utility pole. The two children in the family car, ages 5 and 3, were both taken to the hospital. However, the 5-year-old boy was unable to recover from his injuries, ultimately losing his life.
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Kansas Turnpike SUV Accident Takes Four Lives, Injures Fifth Person
An SUV accident on the Kansas Turnpike resulted in the deaths of four people and the injury of one more near the Kansas-Oklahoma state border. According to a kansascity.com article, the accident took place when the driver of the SUV attempted to make a U-turn in front of a semitrailer and the two vehicles collided. It was not discussed whether a driving infraction was committed at the time of the incident, or if any other negligent action played a determining role in causing the accident.
The Wellington, Kansas accident took the lives of two males, ages 39 and 27, and two females, ages 22 and 23. A 27-year-old male was also seriously injured during the accident and taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. The driver of the semitrailer was not injured and did not require medical attention. Although it was not stated in the report, a more thorough investigation into the cause of this accident will undoubtedly take place.
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