Wisconsin drivers assume a heavy burden when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. Not only are they responsible for their own safety, they also assume responsibility for the safety of their passengers as well as others with whom they share the road. When these obligations are not properly met, disaster can strike, leading to significant property damage, personal injury and even loss of life. One Wisconsin woman is now facing charges in connection with a car accident that killed two of her friends.
The charges are the result of an investigation that began following the crash in June 2012. The 24-year-old driver was carrying three passengers in her vehicle at the time of the crash. A 33-year-old woman died in the accident, along with a 31-year-old also in the vehicle. One additional passenger, a 29-year-old woman, survived the crash.
Police believe that the driver of the vehicle is responsible for the crash that resulted in these deaths. She has been charged with nine offenses in the incident. Among those are two charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, two counts of homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol concentration and two counts of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle. Other charges revolve around the great bodily harm brought to the third passenger who survived the wreck.
As this case moves forward, the families of the women killed in the incident will likely follow the progress. There is no report of any civil action taken by those families, nor on the part of the surviving passenger. However, these parties have the right to move forward with such suits should they so desire. A successful personal injury or wrongful death suit could assist the victim and the families of the deceased to cover the expenses related to this Wisconsin car accident.
Source: wsau.com, “Merrill woman charged in double fatal crash case,” Nov. 1, 2012