The holidays usually mean a time of togetherness for families, but several here in Georgia are now grieving instead. The Department of Public Safety reports that its crash statistics for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend are now available. They paint a grim picture, with fatalities doubling since the same time period last year. This could be cause for some families to pursue wrongful death litigation.
According to DPS records, last year 12 people died over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This includes fatal crashes starting Wednesday night and ending Sunday night. Initial reports placed this year’s death totals at 22 by Sunday evening, but final numbers put the count at 24 fatalities. State police say that many of the crashes involved someone speeding or driving while intoxicated.
One crash early in the holiday weekend happened when a young woman was traveling south on a local road. Police say that another driver was unable to properly execute a right turn and ended up striking the woman’s vehicle. The woman died as a result of her injuries, and the other driver and a passenger in that car were also injured. Official reports say that police believe the second car was speeding at the time of the crash and that this may have contributed to the crash.
When crashes like these occur, families of victims may struggle to manage not only the horrific loss, but the outstanding expenses that often result from an unexpected event like this one. It may make sense for a family to file a wrongful death civil claim with the assistance of an attorney. Claims of this nature may result in the payment of monetary damages that can help a family put any financial worries in their past and focus their attention on honoring the lives of the ones they lost.