In a post on July 26, we told you about a multiple car accident that killed a teenage girl (“South Carolina 18-year-old dies in tragic 6-car accident”). The biggest question in that car accident was what caused it. After four months of investigation, the South Carolina Highway Patrol has finally been able to conclude its investigation. It concluded that the driver of the car that hit the teen blacked out just before the accident. Authorities have not revealed what caused the driver to black out, except to say that it was due to a medical issue.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team reviewed the multitude of evidence available to them. The report stated that during the investigation, the team reviewed video footage, digital photographs and listened to audio recordings. The team also performed forensic mapping and even had the vehicle that hit the teen checked for any mechanical defects.

The teenager was sitting in a northbound vehicle at a traffic light on Highway 17 Business when the driver of a vehicle on the frontage road apparently blacked out behind the wheel. When that happened, the driver ended up leaving the frontage road and veering across several lanes of traffic before slamming into the car containing the teen at 50 mph. The young woman did not survive the accident and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her family finally has some of the answers they have likely needed for the past four months. Knowing what happened may not change the fact her life was cut short before it really ever had a chance to begin, but it may help give the family some sense of closure. The family still retains the right to pursue a wrongful death action against the driver that hit her car. If the driver knew there was a possibility that his medical condition could cause him to black out, or if he had been warned by doctors not to drive, the family may have the basis to assert liability. Further investigation may be necessary to learn more about the driver’s apparent medical infirmity, and its relationship to the fatal car accident which followed the seizure.

Source: wmbfnews.com, “Medical issue cause of crash that killed Cynthia Ayala,” Nov. 13, 2012

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Steven M. Krause

Steven Krause is a personal injury, auto accident, and workers’ compensation lawyer who practices in Anderson, SC. He graduated form the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law and has been practicing law for 40 years now. Steven Krause believes in fighting for the injured. Learn more about his experience here.