Fatal accident in Pennsylvania leaves 2 dead

An investigation is ongoing into a single-vehicle accident that claimed two lives on the night of Oct. 5. Pennsylvania police are trying to determine whether the driver of the vehicle was intoxicated at the time of the fatal accident. So far, they have not issued formal charges against the driver. 

According to the accident report, the 21-year-old driver was apparently backing out of a paved parking area and apparently underestimated the distances involved. The car went past a canal roadway and over an embankment, causing the vehicle to flip onto its roof and land in the canal. The driver and a 25-year-old passenger in the rear of the vehicle were able to escape. 

However, two other passengers, a 25-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man, were apparently trapped in the car. They were pronounced dead at the scene and an autopsy revealed their causes of death to be drowning. In addition to the possibility of driver intoxication, police are also trying to determine whether the lack of lights on the road contributed to the accident. 

If the driver is revealed to have been intoxicated at the time of the fatal accident, criminal charges could follow. In any event, a Pennsylvania driver is ultimately responsible for the safety of the passengers in the vehicle. With this in mind, the families of the deceased passengers may choose to file civil wrongful death suits against the driver, regardless of whether criminal charges are filed. 

This blog entry was posted on behalf of [nap_names id=”FIRM-NAME-1″], and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the firm or its attorneys. The information presented in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice.

Source: 6abc.com, “Victims ID’d in Schuylkill Canal crash“, Oct. 6, 2015