For most families one of the worst things that can happen is to lose a family member due to the negligence of another person. Sadly, people endure this each and every day. This past May, a 45-year-old woman was killed and her son seriously injured when a tow truck and the vehicle in which the woman and child were occupying, collided.

The driver of the tow truck, a 51-year-old man from Pittsburgh, was apparently drunk at the time of the crash. After initially leaving the accident, a witness somehow managed to get him back to the scene.

Perhaps not surprisingly the man was charged with a series of crimes. Earlier this month he pled guilty to a variety of charges related to the incident, including:

• Vehicular homicide
• Drunken driving
• Driving without a license

In addition to these, he also admitted guilt to 15 other charges.

As a result of the accident the deceased woman's son suffered a head injury characterized as severe. Though his current condition is not known, earlier this month he reportedly underwent a surgery at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for something related to the crash.

In situations such as these it is not uncommon for wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits to be filed. In addition to the child losing his mother, which most would agree is irreplaceable, he also appears to be facing a long period of recovery. Though not known for sure, it is likely that expenses are mounting during this recovery period. Financial damages could undoubtedly go a long way to ease the recovery.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Pittsburgh tow truck driver guilty in DUI fatality," Oct. 15, 2012

• Drunk driving is a serious problem throughout the state of Pennsylvania. In the worst cases it leads to accidents resulting in serious injury or death. For more information on this topic please visit our Pittsburgh drunk driving accidents page.