Elderly man involved in fatal crash in Virginia

There is no way to predict exactly when mishaps will occur on the highways, as any number of factors could contribute to serious truck accidents. Whether they involve a single truck or multiple vehicles, such accidents often could be avoided if drivers acted responsibly behind the wheel.

An elderly man driving on the Capital Beltway on the evening of Dec. 27, 2012, was involved in a fatal accident in which he and his two passengers were killed. The collision occurred when the 87-year-old driver of the Ford Ranger pickup truck reportedly rear-ended a tractor-trailer. The site of the accident was on the ramp leading from Interstate 495 to I-95. The ramp was shut down for about eight hours following the crash.

The three in the pickup truck were all residents of Pennsylvania traveling through the area on the way to a relative’s funeral in Florida. The passengers, ages 85 and 51, died at the scene along with the driver. Apparently, traffic had halted in front of the pickup truck before the collision, but the driver did not stop.

The families of the victims are the only ones left to speak on behalf of the deceased. In collisions such as this one, surviving family members may wish to seek compensation for their losses if it is determined that there was negligence on the part of one or more of the drivers.

Source: Wtop.com, “Victims in Beltway crash were heading to funeral,” Dec. 28, 2012.