Criminal charges were filed against a woman who allegedly caused the death of a Tennessee police officer. Reportedly, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration was over double the legal limit of .08 when tested after the accident. If she is convicted, it may benefit the surviving family members of the deceased officer if they choose to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
Reportedly, the 24-year-old woman crossed the centerline before crashing into a police cruiser on a recent Thursday morning. According to Tennessee Highway Patrol, evidence obtained from two traffic cameras shows the alleged DUI driver, who was heading north, traveled in the southbound lanes of traffic. Furthermore, she was driving without headlights.
The video footage shows that the police officer was driving the police cruiser in the southbound lane, which directly put his vehicle in the wrong-way driver’s path. The crash that followed sent both drivers to the hospital, where the officer succumbed to his injuries. Reportedly, a blood sample drawn at the hospital indicated that the woman’s BAC was .166 after the accident. She was arrested upon her release from the hospital.
The surviving family members of the deceased police officer are entitled to pursue a wrongful death claim for financial relief through the Tennessee civil justice system. This is a complicated field of the law, and others in similar circumstances have relied upon an experienced wrongful death attorney to advocate for them. If such a claim is successfully presented, a monetary judgment to cover financial and other damages might be ordered by the court.
