According to a recent report, an alleged hit-and-run accident in Pennsylvania left one man injured and another man dead on Jan. 28. A retired Pittsburgh police officer and his brother had been traveling on an inbound ramp near Squirrel Hill Tunnel in an SUV when a silver mid-sized sedan appeared. The driver of the SUV honked and tried to steer out of the oncoming sedan’s path. Despite the driver’s attempt to keep the SUV clear of the sedan, the approaching car struck the SUV.

The SUV tumbled down an embankment, ejecting both truck occupants from the vehicle. The two men lay about 12 feet from each other and had sustained serious injuries from the rollover. The driver’s brother was transported to a medical facility where he later died.

Report suggests that the sedan did not remain in the vicinity following the car crash. The victim’s family has released a public statement asking that the individual who was driving the sedan come forward. Furthermore, the victim’s sister, who the victim had planned to support after the death of her husband, suggested that she has difficultly believing that the allegedly at-fault driver did not realize that they had been involved in a car accident.

When a family loses a loved one in a car accident, the emotional and financial damages can be extensive. However, if the crash was caused by another party, that individual may be named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit that seeks compensation. A victim’s family may be able to file a wrongful death action in an effort to recover a number of damages, including the cost of funeral expenses and lost financial support.

Source: WPXI, “Family says another driver was at fault in fatal Parkway East rollover crash,” Jan. 30, 2015