The powers that be in the state of Pennsylvania take car accidents that result in injuries to individuals very seriously. Accordingly, in some cases it is possible that the person responsible for the accident will find themselves facing criminal charges. A tow truck driver from the Pittsburgh area is facing that reality.

The driver, a 51-year-old man, was driving his truck on Penn Hills last May when it crossed over into oncoming traffic. When this happened the truck collided with a vehicle driving toward it. The driver of that vehicle was a 45-year-old woman. The other occupant of the car was the woman's 9-year-old son.

As a result of the head-on crash the occupants of the car suffered serious injuries. The woman was so badly injured that she died as a result. Her son suffered head injuries characterized as severe and now over seven months later, is still recovering.

After the incident the tow truck driver reportedly tried to leave the accident scene.

The man was apprehended and criminally charged. This past fall he pled guilty to several charges including homicide by vehicle. As a result of his role in the fatal accident the truck driver was sentenced to spend between five and 10 years behind bars.

It is very possible that both a wrongful death and personal injury lawsuit could be filed against the tow truck driver as well. In addition to the child working to recover from his head injury, tragically, he must do it without the assistance of his mother. This undoubtedly makes the difficult task that much harder. Any money secured in a personal injury type lawsuit could make it a bit easier for him.

Source: Tribune-Review, "Point Breeze man sentenced for fatal crash," Jan. 3, 2013

Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. If you would like to learn more about our practice, please visit our Pittsburgh fatal motor vehicle accident page.