In recent months, there have been numerous stories about pedestrians getting struck by cars throughout the valley. Usually, the victims were either trying to cross a street or walking along the side of the road. But a fatal auto-pedestrian accident last week is different, because the victim was not walking in traffic.

On Friday evening just before 5:45pm, a 2005 Dodge Neon was driving eastbound on Owens Avenue in the northeast valley. The 23-year old female driver lost control of the car, and it swerved across traffic and jumped the curb near Teton Street (which is just past Mojave Road). The vehicle struck a 63-year old woman who was walking on the sidewalk with her adult son. She was rushed to the hospital, but did not survive her injuries.

It’s unclear what caused the driver to swerve out of control. But it appears that she will be held responsible for the death of the 63-year old woman. So the victim’s husband may wish to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver of the Neon.

The monetary award associated with this lawsuit could be large, because the woman was a mother of eight children, two of whom were disabled. In addition, the victim was on her way back from wiring money to family in Mexico. In short, many people relied on this woman for their care and financial well-being; so damages for loss of care could be substantial. The family could also get reimbursement for hospital and burial expenses, as well as any unearned future wages the woman might have received had the tragic accident never occurred.