On Christmas night, in California, many people were celebrating with family and friends. Others, however, had to work, such as civil service employees who are dispatched to the scene when car accidents occur. One such incident took place at approximately 10 p.m. close to Yuba City, and it had disastrous results.
Two vehicles were involved in a head-on crash in Sutter County. An 18-year-old was behind the wheel when her vehicle, a 2017 Ford Mustang, slammed into the front of an Explorer. It was headed in the wrong direction at the time of the crash. A 44-year-old man was driving the Explorer.
Fatal result
Responders who arrived to help those involved in the head-on collision determined that the man who was hit by a wrong-way driver did not survive the injuries he suffered upon impact. They pronounced him dead at the scene. The teenager who was driving the vehicle that struck him was transported to a hospital with severe injuries.
Investigators are working to determine whether alcohol or drugs were factors
California police reportedly believe both alcohol and drugs may have been causal factors in the head-on collision. In such cases, those who are grieving the loss of a loved one due to another driver’s negligence or reckless behavior may be entitled to a wrongful death claim in civil court. It is not uncommon for cases like this to lead to criminal charges, and a resulting conviction may be offered in a related civil court proceeding as proof of a defendant’s negligence.