The weather forecast for Las Vegas and the entire valley looks wonderful. Sunny days and clear nights are predicted all the way through the Christmas weekend. That means we hopefully won’t see any more fatal auto accidents like the one that occurred over the rainy weekend on a Las Vegas freeway.

On Sunday morning, a Ford Explorer was traveling east on the Las Vegas Beltway just southwest of McCarran International Airport. As it tried to exit onto southbound I-15, the sport utility vehicle was driving too fast and lost control on the wet road. The Explorer veered onto the left shoulder of the exit ramp and then rolled over. A 65-year old female passenger from Las Vegas was taken to University Medical Center, but she subsequently succumbed to her injuries.

From the information in this article, it appears that the driver is solely at fault in this deadly single-vehicle accident. Since the driver of the SUV was not identified, it’s unclear whether he or she was related to the accident victim. But if they were not relatives, then family members of the 65-year old woman could choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver (who is bound by law to protect the safety of his or her passengers). Such a suit could entitle the grieving family to receive reimbursement for hospital and burial expenses as well as lost future wages if the Las Vegas woman was still employed. A jury could also award damages for emotional anguish as well as loss of care or companionship.