On July 15, an Arkansas driver hit and killed a 46-year-old female at the intersection of U.S. 62 and Little Elm Road. The woman was struck while jogging near her home. The victim was survived by her husband and five-year-old daughter.
Police said that the accident happened around 7:45 a.m. as she was running east on the roadway’s westbound shoulder. A Jeep Cherokee crossed over the shoulder of the roadway and struck the victim.
According to a captain with Prairie Grove Police Department, Central EMS arrived to the accident site before officers and determined that the jogger died at, or shortly after, impact. The Washington County Coroner’s Office investigated the incident in addition to local police.
Although the driver of the SUV did not suffer major injuries, he was taken to the hospital by police as part of their investigation. While there, he underwent blood tests and other evaluations to determine if he was intoxicated at the time of the accident. The captain of the Prairie Grove Police department reported that the driver of the Cherokee received citations for suspicion of negligent homicide, driving right of roadway and reckless driving.
Wrongful death suits are often filed in connection with motor vehicle accidents. When a person is killed in such an accident and family members of the decedent believe another party to the incident was responsible, they can pursue civil litigation against that entity. Plaintiffs of such wrongful death lawsuits seek compensation for their financial losses that stemmed from a family member’s passing. Examples of such pecuniary harm could be the loss of a decedent’s income or the need to pay for that victim’s final expenses.
Source: KFSM, “Jogger Hit By SUV And Killed Near Prairie Grove Identified; Driver Cited“, Jocelyne Pruna, Katelynn Zoellner and Curt Lanning, July 15, 2014