A Nov. 7 accident involving two SUVs and a pickup truck took the lives of two individuals, authorities reported. The Richfield incident occurred on Interstate 271 at approximately 5 p.m. Police suspect that excessive speed and distracted driving contributed to the crash.

According to a police report, a southbound pickup truck with a 41-year-old driver rear-ended an SUV in the vicinity of Broadview Road. Subsequently, the pickup truck veered out of control, traveled into northbound traffic and struck an oncoming SUV head-on.

The 44-year-old woman behind the wheel of the second SUV suffered catastrophic injuries as a result of the head-on collision. Officials at the scene of the crash pronounced her dead. The 41-year-old driver of the pickup truck was rendered unconscious by the wreck, and he received emergency transport via LifeFlight to a hospital, where he passed away, according to authorities.

Emergency personnel transported two occupants of the first SUV to a hospital for treatment following the accident. While authorities depicted their injuries as non-life-threatening, the extent of the injuries they suffered was not immediately disclosed.

As this particular case demonstrates, collisions that occur at highway speeds can be particularly violent and destructive. In this case, it reportedly took highway crews some six hours to clean up the scene of the crash. It may take even longer for accident reconstruction investigators to gather and analyze all the evidence necessary to determine what caused the event and who, if anyone, was at fault. However, the results of such an investigation may be pivotal for people who wish to file civil action in connection with the car accident. For example, the spouse of a deceased accident victim who opts to pursue a wrongful death claim may benefit from obtaining as much information and evidence pertaining to the accident as possible.

Source: WKYC, “Two dead after three-vehicle crash”, November 08, 2014