INJURED?

Driver suspected of opioid use hits hearse and injures 2

On Behalf of | Feb 21, 2019 | Car Accidents |

A funeral in Lilburn turned into a frightening spectacle for a Georgia family trying to bury a deceased 90-year-old grandmother. Local police said that a man ignored traffic stopped for a funeral procession and slammed his vehicle into a hearse carrying the body at the intersection of Lawrenceville Highway and Rockbridge Road. The impact flipped the hearse three times and injured the two funeral directors in the vehicle. A local news outlet reported that the two accident victims were taken to a hospital and their condition was unknown.

A police officer who reached the driver first said that he saw the man’s neck vein pulsing. He also reported that white spittle stuck to the side of the man’s mouth. The officer conducted a field sobriety test, but the man was unable to pass it. He told the officer that he had used methadone three weeks earlier. The officer suspected more recent opioid use because of the fresh track marks on the man’s arms. The police arrested him.

The daughter of the deceased woman said that she sees the shocking event in her mind every time that she closes her eyes. To finish the funeral, the funeral home had to transfer the body to a new casket and hearse.

A crash caused by criminal behavior could entitle an injued victim to pursue financial damages for medical bills and lost income. An accident claim that involves a driver charged with crimes might benefit from the attention of an attorney familiar with motor vehicle collisions. An attorney could look for insurance coverage or the negligent driver’s private assets and file a civil personal injury lawsuit.

Source: WSOC TV, “Driver high on opioid hits hearse during funeral procession, flipping it 3 times, police say“, Zachary Hansen, Feb. 12, 2019

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