Alcohol plays a role in many fatal car accidents

Even at a time when information regarding the dangers of drinking and driving is so readily available, people still get behind the wheel after drinking and put the lives of innocent people in danger. Tragically, fatal car accidents here in Ohio and elsewhere involve alcohol. Lives are lost and families are changed forever because of crashes that are entirely preventable.A 19-year-old woman’s family will probably never be the same after she lost her life in a crash back in September. She was traveling on SR 56 that night. She and her passenger could not have known that another vehicle headed toward them from the opposite direction would veer into their lane unexpectedly.The oncoming vehicle struck hers and trapped her in the wreckage. Emergency responders freed her from the vehicle and rushed her to a hospital in the area. Sadly, her injuries were too severe and she succumbed to them at the hospital. Her passenger managed to escape without injuries. The woman driving the other vehicle was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and now faces charges for OVI and reckless homicide.If Ohio prosecutors secure a conviction on these charges, that outcome could provide evidence of negligence in a wrongful death claim. In addition, any evidence presented to the court in the criminal case could also prove useful in a civil case. Successfully proving negligence in a wrongful death claim could result in an award of damages seen in other fatal car accidents, so providing the court with as much evidence as possible is essential.