Two people died after being involved in a head-on collision in Perry County on Dec. 5. According to Pennsylvania State Police, the accident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. in Southwest Madison Township on the 4900 block of Shermans Valley Road.

Authorities said an 86-year-old Mayfield man was behind the wheel of a pickup truck on Shermans Valley Road when he crossed the double yellow line and struck another pickup driven by a 54-year-old New Bloomfield woman. Both drivers were declared deceased at the scene of the crash. No other individuals were in their trucks at the time of the wreck.

Police said they did not yet know why the male driver crossed the centerline. Part of westbound Route 274 was shut down while authorities investigated the accident scene.

There are several reasons a vehicle could cross the double yellow line and cause a fatal car crash, including impairment, distracted driving and reckless driving. With the aid of an attorney, the surviving family members of someone killed in a similar car crash may be able to bring a wrongful death civil lawsuit against the at-fault party. If the liable individual was also killed in the crash, a lawsuit may be brought against the driver’s estate.

A wrongful death lawsuit may be brought even in cases where police choose not to charge the driver who caused the crash. If the case is successful, a victim’s family could receive financial compensation to cover damages such as medical expenses, funeral and burial costs, lost wages, lost inheritance and loss of companionship.

Source: PennLive, “Perry County woman, 54, one of 2 killed in head-on crash in Perry County, state police say,” Jeffrey Johnson , December 05, 2014