Months after a car accident killed a 56-year-old Florida man last summer, Florida police have charged a suspect with DUI manslaughter. With a suspect in hand, this worker’s family can likely consider whether to pursue a wrongful death charge against the driver.
The accident happened last August. While the victim was on the job at a roadway construction site in Pensacola, a 35-year-old man swerved into the construction zone and hit him. The construction worker died at the scene after the force of the impact threw him against a nearby large vehicle.
This type of construction accident is just one of the hazards that construction workers and their families confront on a daily basis. Construction sites are dangerous under even the best conditions – when an impaired driver is added to the mixture of dangers that exist on highway projects, the potential consequences for workers can be catastrophic.
Although Florida is pursuing a criminal case against this defendant, the victim’s family is probably entitled to its own civil lawsuit. These cases are known as wrongful death lawsuits. Wrongful death claims allow families to hold culprits accountable for reckless or negligent behavior when it claims the life of another person.
Financial damages can never replace the loss of a loved one – but a successful lawsuit can help families move forward and plan for a future after an unanticipated tragedy.
Source: NWF Daily News, “Arrest made in crash that killed Eglin Parkway construction worker,” Angel McCurdy, Mar. 8, 2013
