Mary Hendrix and Nesta Turner suffered severe enough injuries to require emergency medical treatment at a local hospital after a crash on John Puryear Drive near Paducah. The McCracken County Sheriff’s Department is investigating and according to the information released, Hendrix pulled out in front of the vehicle driven by Turner, which resulted in the collision.
Kentucky law provides that drivers on roadways owe a duty of care to other drivers and their passengers to operate their vehicles in a safe and reasonable manner. In order to prevail on a claim of negligence, passengers and drivers of other vehicles would need to assert and prove that the at-fault driver breached this duty by failing to operate his or her vehicle as a reasonably prudent driver would in similar circumstances. Recoverable damages could potentially include property damage, medical bills, lost wages, permanent disability, and pain and suffering.
While driver error appears to be the cause, a car crash as serious as this one warrants a full investigation to determine if any other causes are at play, such as mechanical failure, shoddy maintenance, a poor repair job or defects in the vehicle itself. Hopefully, all of the involved individuals make quick and full recoveries. And hopefully the responsible party or parties have plenty of insurance coverage to make up for the harms and losses that have occurred.