A traffic crash involving a disabled tractor-trailer claimed the life of a woman in Bibb County. The accident occurred at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 28th. The cause of the accident is unknown at the time of this report.
The Georgia State Patrol said the crash happened on Interstate 755 near the Hartley Bridge Road exit. The troopers said a disabled tractor-trailer was in the second to left-lane, with emergency cones placed behind it. An oncoming Kia Sorento then crashed into the back of the truck.
The Kia driver and passenger sustained injuries, and medics conveyed them to Medical Center, Atrium Health Navicent. The woman in Bibb County, identified as 32-year-old Michelle Fletcher, later died from her injuries. The accident remains under investigation.
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of non-natural death in the United States. They can either be a single-vehicle accident or involve several vehicles. When it is a solo crash, the victim would likely handle their injury treatment and other expenses alone. They can do this using their insurance coverage or out-of-pocket if they are uninsured.
When the crash involves two or more vehicles, the driver who is the victim can get compensated. This is because Georgia practices a fault-based compensation system. As such, the victim can get economic and non-economic damages and sometimes punitive damages where there’s evidence of gross negligence. However, insurance companies do not pay punitive damages; they are awarded by the court.
If the victim contributed to the accident in any way, Georgia modified comparative negligence doctrine comes into play. Here, the victim will only recover if their fault is less than 50%, and the compensation would be proportional to their fault. Learn more about this doctrine from our experienced auto accident lawyers.
Source: https://www-13wmaz-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.13wmaz.com/amp/article/news/local/woman-killed-after-car-hits-tractor-trailer-on-i-75s/93-cfd5ef4e-bac1-43b0-9d68-1a1f6d1c6566?amp_js_v=a6&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#aoh=16303149482246&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.13wmaz.com%2Farticle%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fwoman-killed-after-car-hits-tractor-trailer-on-i-75s%2F93-cfd5ef4e-bac1-43b0-9d68-1a1f6d1c6566
