A driver ran a stop sign recently at the intersection of U.S. 62 and Ohio 661, causing a multi-vehicle car accident and injuries to six people. The driver of a Ford F-150 pickup traveling southbound on Ohio 661 ran the stop sign, colliding with another pickup traveling eastbound on U.S. 62.

The eastbound pickup was hauling a boat, which came loose from the truck on impact and collided with a Toyota that was at the stop sign. Three passengers from the eastbound vehicle were hospitalized for injuries, including two young children. The driver of the southbound pickup truck and the driver of the Toyota were also treated for injuries they received in the accident.

In Ohio, victims of accidents caused by the negligent driving practice of another person can seek compensation for their medical expenses, property damage, economic distress, physical pain and emotional suffering. Examples of negligent driving practices that may result in an accident include distracted driving, drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving as well as failure to obey traffic signs and signals.

Being a negligent driver doesn’t make someone a bad person. It doesn’t mean that person meant to cause the accident. It simply means that the person engaged in behavior behind the wheel that resulted in an accident. Ohio law requires that those found responsible for causing an accident that results in the damage of property and the injury of someone else to be responsible for the costs incurred due to that damage and those injuries.

Care must be exercised in keeping a record of the costs involved with medical treatment and property repair following an accident, as these costs — along with estimates of others that may include the future earnings of a person seriously injured or pain and suffering — could be used to formulate the request in a personal injury claim.

Source: Newark Advocate, “6 taken to hospitals after crash at U.S. 62/Ohio 661,” June 30, 2013