A woman is in critical condition and another is dead after a pedestrian accident on April 27. The accident occurred at the intersection of Evesham and Kresson roads in Voorhes at approximately 8:21 p.m., authorities said. Reportedly, the driver who struck the two women was distracted at the time of the incident.
According to authorities, the two pedestrians, a 63-year-old woman and her 38-year-old daughter, were walking across Evesham Road when a 1990 Ford Ranger ran into them. The driver, a Medford resident, reportedly stayed on the scene and provided a statement to police.
Emergency responders transported the women to the trauma unit of Cooper Trauma Hospital, where the mother succumbed to her injures just after 9 p.m. The daughter received treatment for life-threatening injuries and is listed in extremely critical condition. Voorhes police said that the investigation is ongoing. However, according to the police report, ‘distracted driving was a factor in the crash.”
If negligence is indeed responsible for this accident, the 38-year-old daughter may be entitled to compensation from the driver via civil action. Through a personal injury claim, the daughter may receive a financial award to pay for hospital costs, medical expenses and any lost income resulting from her injuries.
The daughter may also be eligible to file a wrongful death claim against the driver if the death of her mother, the 63-year-old woman, demonstrably burdened her with financial losses, potentially including hospital bills and funeral expenses. Since New Jersey law only allows for family members to recover pecuniary damages in wrongful death claims, compensation for grief and mental anguish related to the victim’s death is not possible.
Source: NJ.com, ‘Voorhees police: Distracted driving may have killed mother, severely injured daughter,” Joe Green, April 28, 2014
Source: Cherry Hill Patch, “Mother Dies, Daughter in Critical Condition Following Pedestrian Accident“, Anthony Bellano , April 28, 2014