Automobile accidents, by their very nature, are dangerous and fraught with peril. The injuries resulting from these accidents can range from more minor soft-tissue damage to severe or even life-threatening conditions. The very worst cases may even result in a wrongful death. In addition to physical damage and personal injuries, the lasting financial effects of car accidents can also weigh heavily on victims and their loved ones. These accidents can happen to anyone and at any time.
Determining who was at fault in a car accident can sometimes be a tall order. This process requires figuring out who was negligent, and thus responsible, for causing the accident. Negligence, as a legal matter, is often based on an operator’s failure to obey traffic signs or signals, failure to signal when turning, failure to follow the speed limit, driving a car under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, or violation of some other auto accident law. While some car accidents can be attributed to the fault, or liability, of one person or party, that is not always the case. Liability can be “shared.” Under the law, this is sometimes referred to as comparative or contributory negligence.
On Friday, March 27, 2015, 81-year-old Arkloo Wong was driving his 1998 Honda Accord west on the I-90 Massachusetts Turnpike in Brighton. According to CBS Boston, Wong and another driver, 73-year-old William Hamilton, were involved in a minor traffic incident at around 11:00 pm. Wong and Hamilton got out of their cars to discuss the incident and exchange paperwork. Wong then went and stood behind his Honda, which was behind Hamilton’s 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis.
Suddenly, a third car came up fast behind the two cars in the breakdown lane. Before Wong could react, the car, a 2010 Volkswagen, slammed into him and his Honda. Tragically, Wong was crushed between the two cars and was fatally injured. Boston EMS responded to the scene and transported the elderly man to the Beth Israel Hospital, but he was later pronounced dead.
Police are continuing to investigate the cause of this terrible accident. So far, no charges have been brought against Joseph Coury, the 30-year-old driver of the Volkswagen.
