Summit County Woman Killed In Car Accident

Last Tuesday, the Summit County Sheriff's Office reported that Stow woman had died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident that occurred that afternoon. The fatal crash occurred in the 200 block of West Turkeyfoot Lake Road, when a Chrysler 300 driven by the 75-year-old decedent went left of center and struck a Saturn Vue, injuring its 33-year-old occupant. Depending on how the Sheriff's Office investigation shakes out, the driver of the Saturn may be entitled to recover damages for his injuries.

Ohio law requires that, in order to recover for a injury, the claimant must prove that the other party was "negligent." A person is negligent when they fail to exercise "ordinary care" in their course of conduct. Proving negligence involves establishing the following four elements:

• The other party that caused the injury owed the victim a "duty."
• The other party failed to satisfy or breached their duty.
• The other party's breach of their duty caused some type of damage to such as an injury.

Even if an injured party can show that the other individual was, in fact, negligent, his or her amount of recovery could be reduced if it is determined that the victim was also negligent. This legal theory, known as "comparative negligence", will reduce the recovery in proportion to the amount that the accident is determined to be the injured party's fault. Further, if it is determined that the injured party was, in fact, more negligent than the other party, he or she will not be able to recover at all.

Determinations as to the existence and proportion of negligence can be complex and subject to specific legal principles. Accordingly, evaluation of personal injury claims are best handled by experienced attorneys. If you, your family or friends have been involved in a car accident in which you sustained injuries, you may need legal representation to protect your right to compensation.

The attorneys of DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder, have over 20 years of experience aggressively pursuing the interest of their clients. It is important that it your claim be evaluated by a skilled Akron personal injury lawyer from DiCaudo, Pitchford & Yoder as early as possible after the injury occurs to preserve crucial evidence.