Hit and Run Accident on Buckman Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida Kills Woman
A woman driving her car struck an SUV causing the SUV driver to lose control, flip and drive off of the bridge, according to an article on News4Jax.com. The SUV driver, identified as Luma Kajy, was killed as a result of the crash.
There was also a second article that indicated that a witness had observed the driver of the car driving recklessly for approximately 20 miles before the crash. The witness apparently followed the driver who caused the crash and helped the police locate and arrest her for vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of the accident.
While this was a tragic accident, fortunately there was a witness who can testify about the reckless driving of the car driver prior to the crash and the fact that she struck the SUV driver causing her to lose control. In wrongful death lawsuits that arise after such crashes, it can be difficult to reconstruct the accident when one of the parties dies and cannot give his/her version of the events. In those cases, the wrongful death lawyer for family of the deceased driver must rely on an accident reconstructionist who investigates the crash and reviews the investigative reports to try and determine what happened after the fact. Insurance companies for the defendant in wrongful death lawsuits hire their own accident reconstructionists who will come up with an opinion favorable to the insurance company.
However, direct witness testimony is almost always preferable to expert opinions. In this case, it appears that there was a concerned and responsible witness who saw the car driver driving recklessly, reported her driving, saw the crash and even followed that driver so she could be apprehended by the police.
