For many Las Vegas residents, Easter is a special time of the year. It is the opportunity to come together with family and friends to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. But one valley family spent this Easter Sunday mourning the loss of a loved one – all because of a suspected drunk driver.

Early Sunday morning around 3:45am, a 55-year old man was driving south on U.S. 95 in his 2002 Buick. Around Ann Road (which is close to Centennial Center) in Las Vegas, a 2011 Ford pickup truck which had been driving north in the southbound lanes slammed head-on into the Buick, pushing it into a wall where it burst into flames. The 55-year old man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the pickup, a 22-year old man, sustained minor injuries and was treated at University Medical Center. Then he was arrested by Nevada Highway Patrol on charges of driving under the influence.

This article says that the 55-year old victim was engaged to be married, which makes this fatal accident all the more tragic. However, because he was not yet married, his fiancée does not have legal standing to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the man charged with DUI. Such legal action would have to be initiated by the man’s parents, his siblings, or his children. A jury may order the defendant to pay out damages for pain and suffering and loss of care or companionship, compensation for future unearned wages, and reimbursement for burial expenses.