According to reports from the California Highway Patrol, an accident that occurred on April 28 claimed the lives of three people, including a Los Banos High School teacher and the teacher’s father. Also killed was the 30-year-old driver of the other involved vehicle.
The accident happened just prior to 11:00 p.m. on Ingomar Grade. The 30-year-old man was driving a Volkswagen Passat at what authorities characterized as a high rate of speed. Investigators believe that the man failed to appropriately negotiate a curve, losing control and crossing over the center line into oncoming traffic. Reportedly, a Saturn being driven by a 55-year-old man was unable to avoid the Passat, colliding broadside into the driver’s side door.
Both drivers as well as the 55-year-old man’s son, who was a passenger in the Saturn, were pronounced dead of their injuries. The 33-year-old Saturn passenger had been a Los Banos High School math teacher for 12 years, while his father had been a substitute teacher for the district. Authorities indicated that drugs and alcohol were not factors in the collision, although the accident is still being investigated at this time.
Excessive speeding is a factor in many serious car accidents, and when a speeding driver loses control and causes a fatal accident, the families of those killed are often left coping with both the emotional pain of their loved one’s loss as well as significant financial losses and expenses. The families of those killed may choose to file wrongful death civil lawsuits in such a case. If the wrongful driver was also killed, the family may name his or her estate as a defendant in the civil action. Families in this position may want to seek help from a personal injury attorney throughout the process.
Source: KFSN, “Los Banos teacher and his father died in a car crash along with another driver,” Sara Sandrik, April 29, 2015.