Fatality Victims Remembered in Tree of Life Ceremony
In early December 2011, a large number of Wilmington citizens and law enforcement turned out for an annual ceremony to remember the lives of those who suffered fatalities in the previous year in North Carolina traffic accidents. The tree is decorated with lights to signify the number of deaths that occurred during the previous year due to car crashes and drunk-driving accidents. This year, there were 1,327 white lights to signify the number of people who died. There were 437 red lights on the tree to represent those who suffered fatalities due to drunk-driving or driver-impaired accidents.
The keynote speaker focused on his daughter, who was just twenty-three years old when she was fatally injured in a car crash. The light on the tree that represented her was red. The man whose vehicle veered and went over the middle line to strike her car was reportedly under the influence of drugs and still faces criminal charges.
In the last 30 years, there has been a significant decrease nationally in the number of people suffering fatalities due to alcohol or drug-related traffic accidents. According to a personal injury attorney in Wilmington, 30 percent of the population in the United States (almost a third) is involved in a traffic accident involving alcohol or drugs every year, and more than three people under the age of 21 die each day in accidents related to drugs or alcohol.
Family members of those who die in drunk-driving accidents are eligible to receive compensation for their losses. In many cases, those who are driving impaired are subject to criminal penalties, as well as being responsible for damages. A Wilmington personal injury attorney carefully reviews all the conditions present in each accident in order to determine liability, and proceeds from there to sue for compensation from all responsible parties, whether the other driver, the car manufacturer, the producer of various components of the car (from seat belts to other possible product failures), and even possibly negligent owners of bars and restaurants who supplied alcohol. Survivors and family members of traffic fatalities may pursue damages through the services of a Wilmington personal injury attorney for loss of income, as well as pain and suffering. Recourse through criminal and civil routes may mitigate impaired driving to some degree.
Some Wilmington leaders advocate for tougher laws. One official at the ceremony complained about the incidences of people bailing out of a DWI and being arrested again before the first hearing. “We need to find a way to put teeth in our laws,” he said, “to make sure this doesn’t happen over and over again.”
Personal Injury Attorney Wilmington – With seven offices across North Carolina, the Wilmington personal injury attorneys at Nagle & Associates are dedicated to client service in injury litigation. To learn how you can benefit from our experience, focus, and past successes, contact a highly skilled personal injury attorneys in Wilmington at Nagle & Associates by calling (910) 762-2355 or visit us on the web at http://www.naglefirm.com/Wilmington/ for a FREE initial consultation.
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