2-car accident on California highway kills 60-year-old man

One motorist was killed and three were injured in a crash in Tulare County on July 5. According to the police, speeding and alcohol factored in to the early morning accident.

The crash happened near Visalia when an eastbound Acura, driven by a teenager from Lemon Cove, crashed into the back of a Ford on Highway 198. According to a representative of the California Highway Patrol, the Acura was moving at a speed in excess of 100 mph. The impact sent the Ford, which was traveling at around 65 mph, into the median barrier. Two passengers in the Acura were ejected from the vehicle as it flipped after the crash.

A 20-year-old Ivanhoe man, who was a passenger in the Acura along with a Visalia man, were both taken to a Fresno hospital and suffered major injuries according to authorities. The 60-year-old Ford driver was transported to a Visalia hospital where he died. The Acura's driver was transported to the same facility and, according to the news source, was found to be intoxicated. There was no information on his condition in the source, and an investigation into the accident was ongoing as of July 5.

Speeding and drunk driving are two common causes of fatal car accidents. When drivers abandon their responsibility toward other motorists and get into auto accidents in which others are killed, they could be found liable in a civil lawsuit for any subsequent financial problems experienced by the victims' families. Attorneys for plaintiffs of wrongful death suits often begin building cases for the defendants' culpability for an accident by reviewing police reports and witness statements to determine causal factors.

Source: The Fresno Bee, "CHP: Alcohol a factor in fatal crash near Visalia", Brianna Vaccari, July 05, 2014