In this case, three people, were killed after a big rig slammed into them on the highway near Salt Lake City. The three people were all from one family and the dead included a 9 month old baby. Apparently, according to eyewitness reports, the family in the car was in the southbound lane and suddenly veered over the centerline into the northbound lane.
Realizing he was in the wrong lane, the driver Jacob Herrera, over corrected the trajectory of the car and promptly veered into the path of an oncoming semi. Unable to stop on time, the rig slammed into the car, T-boning it from the driver’s side and ramming it back down the road until the truck was able to stop.
Emergency response crews at the scene recovered the bodies of Herrera, 21, Kristi Westfall, 30 and 9 month old Damian Herrara. Paramedics indicated it was likely all three were killed instantly as a result of the horrendous impact at highway speeds. The highway was shut down to allow crews to clear up the area and start an investigation into the fatal accident.
This is a tough case when all the members of one family have been killed at the same time. The grief would be almost unbearable for the parents and grandparents of the deceased. They would not know what caused the accident and why the car had swerved into the path of an oncoming semi. Was the driver under the influence of something? Was he not paying attention to road conditions? Was he trying to do more than just drive the car, like read a map? Was the couple having a fight at the time?
There are so many unanswered questions that will need to await the results of a final investigation into this horrendous accident. One thing is for sure, when the family decides to file a wrongful death suit against the estate of Jacob Herrara, it will be a difficult day and likely a case that will take some time to be resolved.
When situations like this face a family who is suddenly burdened with a variety of expenses they need to deal with, it might be a strategic move to check into litigation funding. Wrongful death suits are quite complex and many do take years to conclude. In this case, where the parents and grandparents lost their whole family, perhaps due to negligence on the part of the car driver, there will be questions dealing with loss of a contributing family member, loss of companionship and other issues. The sudden and drastic change in finances for those left behind is usually resolved thanks to a successful wrongful death suit settlement, but that takes a long time.
A lawsuit cash advance would help the family deal with their immediate and ongoing bills; allowing them to wait for a just and fair settlement that comes later, rather than settling early and having to take less money.
Daren Monroe writes for Litigation Funding Corp. To learn more about lawsuit funding and litigation funding, visit Litigationfundingcorp.com.
