One person was killed and another seriously injured in a wrong-way crash in Sullivan County on Dec. 28. At the time of reporting, police were investigating the accident to determine factors that may have caused the crash.
The New York State Police reported that the wrong-way fatal auto accident happened on State Route 17 in the town of Mamakating about a quarter mile east of exit 113. A Hyundai Sonata, driven by a 24-year-old Montgomery man, was traveling east on the westbound lane of State Route 17 when it collided head-on with a 2006 Volkswagen driven by a 24-year-old Vestal man.
The driver of the Hyundai died as a result of the injuries suffered from the crash. The driver of the Volkswagen suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the collision and was airlifted to Hackensack Medical Center for treatment. At the time of reporting, police were unsure why the Montgomery man was driving the wrong way, but in similar accidents, factors such as impairment due to alcohol or drugs and distracted driving as well as road and weather conditions have played a role.
In cases where the liable driver has been killed in the accident, such as this one, any injured victims might still file personal injury claims against the deceased driver’s insurance company to claim damages sustained as a result of the accident. If an accident was caused by a wrong-way driver, negligence might be shown because driving on the wrong side of the road violates the rules of the traffic.
If an injured victim files a successful claim, the victim might receive awards for both economic and non-economic damages. These might include compensation for the medical costs associated with treatment of the injuries suffered in the accident, for any lost income the victim incurs from having to miss work or for the pain and suffering the victim experienced during and after the accident.
Source: Hudson Valley News Network, Wrong Way Driver Results In Fatal Accident”
