An accident in Ohio’s Jackson County claimed the life of an Athens man, 21, when his pickup hit a semi on March 12 in the early morning hours. The tractor-trailer driver, who left the scene of the accident, was found in West Virginia and extradited back to Ohio.

According to a highway patrol representative, the traffic accident happened around 5:39 a.m. when a pickup, driven by the Athens man, heading west on U.S. Route 35, struck the tractor-trailer driven by a New Jersey man, 41, near the intersection with Cain Road. Police said the semi driver failed to stop at a traffic sign as he was exiting the rest stop and pulled in front of the Nissan pickup. The pickup went under the semi coming to rest in the roadway median.

The Athens pickup driver was declared dead by the corner in Jackson County. The semi driver was later located in Putnam County where he was taken into custody by a sheriff’s deputy, waived extradition and was returned to Ohio. As of the time of this report, the man remains at the correctional facility in Jackson Township. He is facing charges of fleeing the scene and negligent vehicular homicide.

Failing to obey the rules of the road and causing the death of another, as in this case, may result in criminal charges being filed. Whether the negligent driver is convicted of a criminal act, he or she may be held liable for the wrongful death of another individual.

The family of a motorist killed by a negligent driver may face financial problems due to funeral costs and the loss of the household contributions the individual provided. After reviewing accident data, an attorney may assist the family by filing a wrongful death suit to recover damages.

Source: WSAZ, “UPDATE: Driver Charged in Deadly Accident Appears in Court,” March 23, 2015

Source: The Telegram, “Man killed in U.S. 35 crash; semi driver leaves the scene,” Pete Wilson, March 13, 2015