Most drivers in North Carolina take to the state’s roads and highways on a daily basis largely unconcerned about suffering a car accident. They hold this assumption despite the fact that car accidents (many of them severe) continue to occur. Still, most think that the other motorists share the road with care as much as they do about accident avoidance.
More often than not, the assumption proves true. Yet the chance that one encounters a blatantly negligent or reckless driver is ever-present. Unfortunately, their actions often have catastrophic consequences in the lives of others.
Repeat offender causes fatal accident in Gaston County
This fact was on full display in a fatal accident that recently occurred in Gaston County. According to the Charlotte Observer, a coupe speeding along U.S. Highway 74 crossed into oncoming traffic and hit a sedan carrying a father and his young son. The drivers of both cars sustained serious injuries in the collision; the boy died.
A subsequent investigation revealed that the coupe lost control after sideswiping another vehicle. Reports indicate that the two vehicles were apparently racing each other at over 100 mph. This represents only the latest in a long series of offenses committed by the driver of the coupe. His record shows multiple citations for speeding and driving under the influence (authorities believe impairment contributed to this latest collision), as well as several license suspensions.
Civil action pursued concurrently with a criminal case
In a scenario like the one described above, most would expect the responsible party to face criminal charges. Accident victims may assume that when this happens, they must wait to pursue their civil claims. Yet that is not true; legal authorities allow civil and criminal cases to occur concurrently.
