HEAD-ON COLLISION NEAR TONGANOXIE TAKES 2 MENS' LIVES

On behalf of Hyland Law Firm, LLC posted in Wrongful Death on Monday, August 25, 2014.

A fatal head-on collision recently took the lives of two drivers near Tonganoxie. The exact cause of the accident was still under investigation at the time of a local report, though the Kansas Highway Patrol has provided some details.

Police believe that a pickup truck driven by a man from Oskaloosa collided with a trailer being pulled by a pickup going in the opposite direction. After the initial collision with the trailer, the Oskaloosa man's truck hit an SUV head-on. A man from Tonganoxie was driving the SUV. Both he and the Oskaloosa man died at the scene. Police say the Tonganoxie man was wearing a seat belt, but the Oskaloosa man was not.

Debris from the head-on crash hit a fourth vehicle, but neither the man driving that truck nor the occupants of the truck pulling the trailer were injured. Police undoubtedly spoke to the survivors while investigating the crash.

Fatal auto accidents often affect entire communities, and families who have lost loved ones in a crash deserve to know exactly what happened. The investigation of a multi-vehicle accident can be complex, however, especially when those who would know most about the collision are no longer with us. In addition to witness statements, an in-depth accident reconstruction is generally necessary to develop a theory of why the crash occurred.

In many cases, cell phone records may be checked to determine whether a driver was distracted just before a collision. Toxicology tests are also routine after fatal auto accidents.

Our wrongful death overview has more on legal steps grieving families can take after losing a loved one in a car accident.

Source: Lawrence Journal-World, "Two dead after car crash west of Tonganoxie," Shawn Linenberger, Aug. 18, 2014