Two people were killed and a third person was injured in a collision in Youngstown in the early hours of Nov. 27. Police only found one vehicle at the scene. However, they were told by witnesses that the car had collided with a semi-truck hauling a trailer. Police are still searching for the driver of the truck.

According to police, the fatal car accident occurred at about 2 a.m. on Lansdowne Boulevard, causing the car to burst into flames and trap the driver and his two passengers inside the vehicle. When witnesses heard the collision and went to look, there was a semi-truck sitting in the middle of the road. However, the truck was gone by the time police arrived at the scene.

The front seat passenger, a 51-year-old man, and the rear-seat passenger, a 52-year-old man, were killed in the collision. The 50-year-old driver of the vehicle survived. He was transported to a Cleveland hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

In cases such as this one where it is not immediately clear who the liable driver is, the family of a deceased victim might need to wait for a completed police investigation and the identification of the at-fault motorist. Once that individual is identified, the family of the victim might choose to file a wrongful death claim against the driver. If the claim is successful, the victim’s family might receive compensation for economic and noneconomic damages. Examples of noneconomic damages include loss of companionship and society whereas economic damages could include loss of support and services as well as loss of prospective inheritance.

Source: WYTV, “Fatal hit-and-run victims identified”, November 28, 2014