Usually when we talk about auto accidents, we focus on the injuries and fatalities that can occur as the result of the severe impact of a crash. Even though cars and trucks are as safe as they have ever been, they still can’t fully protect their occupants from every possible mishap. But one type of outcome of an accident that isn’t as frequently seen is a carfire.

One such event took place this past weekend in Las Vegas, and the consequences were tragic. Early Sunday morning around 2:45am, a 2007 Nissan Altima was traveling east on Charleston Boulevard about a quarter mile west of I-15. Near University Medical Center, a 1999 Ford F-50 pickup traveling west on Charleston attempted to make a left turn onto south Shadow Lane. The two vehicles struck head-on in the intersection, and the Nissan caught on fire. The car’s female driver was trapped inside and was pronounced dead on the scene.

It’s not clear what caused the auto accident (though speed may have been a factor), but the intersection is regulated by a left-turn signal on Charleston. If the pickup truck tried to make the left turn on an unprotected green light, then the fault of the crash would lie on the shoulders of the pickup driver. In this case, the surviving family members of the woman could file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the Ford. A jury may order the defendant to pay reimbursement for burial expenses, monetary damages for pain and suffering and loss of care or companionship, and future wages that the victim would have earned had the collision never occurred.