A New York man has been charged with vehicular homicide after an accident that left a mother dead and her husband and children with life-threatening injuries. The accident occurred Nov. 24 in Clay, Onondaga County.
The 42-year-old Clay man was driving north on Oswego Road when he left his lane and drove head-on into a car carrying a Liverpool family near the intersection with Rosewood Place. Police say they do not know why he did this, but have charged him with vehicular homicide in the death of the 34-year-old woman. She was a front-seat passenger in the car driven by her husband and was thrown through the Ford Escort’s windshield on impact. Her husband and children, ages 2, 10 and 14, are hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. The Clay man, who was driving a Chrysler Sebring, and his passenger were not injured in the crash that totally crumpled the front ends of both cars.
Witnesses told police they observed the Chrysler being driven erratically prior to this accident. Earlier, the man had sideswiped a Honda CRV driven by a 59-year-old Liverpool woman; she was not seriously injured. Rescue crews had to take off the roof and all doors in order to get the Escort’s occupants out.
Fatal car accidents are always traumatic, but especially so when children are involved. If the children survive, they may need counseling to cope both with the loss of their mother and the fear of riding in a car again. Victims of car accidents may qualify for compensation for injuries when the accident was caused by someone else. This compensation usually covers medical expenses, which can include counseling; lost wages and pain and suffering. Survivors of people killed may also be eligible for a wrongful death claim.
Source: Syracuse.com, “Liverpool mother killed in crash; Deputies investigating why Clay driver crossed lanes, hit car with her family“, Jeff Stein, November 25, 2013
