Washington residents may recall a horrific car accident that captured the attention of everyone. In November of last year, a 19-year-old international student from China plowed through a stop sign in Des Moines at a high rate of speed, crashing into another vehicle with four passengers inside.
Tragically, one of the occupants of the other car suffered fatal injuries and did not survive the crash. In addition to the criminal charges that the student is facing, the family of the deceased has now hired an attorney and may be pursuing a wrongful death action against the college student.
The student was reportedly driving 40 miles per hour over the speed limit when the accident occurred. He was charged with vehicular homicide and assault and was placed in jail pending the resolution of those charges. However, he was just released from jail on a $2 million cash bond, which was paid in full by his parents.
The lawyer representing the family of the deceased passenger is concerned that this individual is a flight risk, considering the amount of cash that is apparently readily accessible to him and the fact that he is a Chinese National. If he were to flee the jurisdiction and return to China, he could not be extradited back to the U.S. As a result, the court required that the student surrender his passport as a condition of his bail.
If a driver or passenger is injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another person, he or she may be entitled to receive compensation for their injuries. This compensation may include reimbursement of lost wages, reimbursement of medical expenses and damages for pain and suffering. If someone loses his or her life as a result of someone else’s negligence, the family members may be eligible to file a wrongful death action. The family may be entitled to receive compensation for reimbursement of funeral and burial expenses, loss of companionship, loss of consortium, loss of future earnings, as well as damages for pain and suffering.
Source: KIRO 7, “International student charged in deadly crash posts 2M bail,” Mar. 3, 2013