A young high school student who had just begun his first job and was looking forward to his future career in the military was recently killed in a car accident. His life was cut tragically short on a recent Sunday morning in May in Burlington County. The driver who struck and killed him is believed to have been driving under the influence. Drunk driving accidents like this may serve as painful reminders to victims’ loved ones that life is too short, but legal action in a New Jersey civil court may be justified to partially right such wrongs.
The 17-year-old student and a group of friends were walking off the roadway when a vehicle driven by a 42-year-old Willingboro resident allegedly struck him, police said. The teen was later pronounced dead at the accident’s scene. The driver was issued two summonses — DUI and reckless driving.
Criminal charges have yet to be filed, but authorities said that the investigation is ongoing. Ultimately, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office will be responsible for determining whether these charges will be warranted against the driver for his alleged actions. One of the main determining factors in this decision will be the release of toxicology test results from the tests performed on driver directly after the accident.
In the event that criminal charges are filed against him, prosecutors may be able to secure a conviction on one of the charges related to this tragic accident. If so, this conviction may be offered as evidence of negligence in a wrongful death suit, should one be filed in a New Jersey civil court by the decedent’s loved ones. Successfully navigated, this type of suit might result in the entry of a monetary judgment for specific, documented damages, such as burial costs and other associated end-of-life expenses. When individuals lose loved ones in drunk driving accidents, they are often best served by consulting experienced personal injury attorneys as soon after the tragedies as possible.
Source: nj1015.com, “Burlington high school student struck, killed by driver ‘was a good soul’“, Toniann Antonelli, May 22, 2016