Most car accidents are caused by inattention or negligence. Some are caused by drunk driving, but even then the driver does not intentionally decide to cause a car accident. But last week, a driver in a red Ford Escort made the conscious decision to crash into another vehicle.
Ohio police officials report that road rage led to a fatal car accident earlier this week. The victims tried to call for help. Shortly after, the car that was following them slammed into their vehicle. One of the people travelling in the car died, and the other had to be cut out of the wrecked vehicle.
Any car accident that claims lives is tragic, but this situation is even worse. A 36-year-old woman lost her life because another driver chose to crash into her car. Another man had to be taken to the hospital after the accident that caused the steering wheel to become dislocated and crumpled the car.
The accident survivor reported that someone in the car that caused the crash was throwing things at the victims’ car shortly before the accident. During the 911 call, the victim reported being followed and then screamed. After that, the call was silent. By the time officers arrived at the scene, the car that caused the accident was no longer in the area.
Intentionally causing someone else pain is significantly different than doing so on accident. While negligent drivers should always be held accountable for accidents they cause, those who purposefully hurt others should be pursued even more aggressively. Hopefully, police officers will locate the driver who caused this tragedy, and the victims and families will receive the personal injury compensation they deserve.
Source: WDTN.com, “Victim id’d in road rage accident,” 25 May 2011