A terrible feeling is wondering whether the death of a loved one could have been prevented. It can be even more frustrating when the death was unexpected or the result of an accident.
But when a death is the result of someone else’s negligence, the victim’s loved ones can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person responsible.
In September of 2008, a Florida pastor who was confined to a wheelchair had traveled to a health center to receive dialysis treatment. He took a Space Coast Area Transit bus and arrived with no problem. After his treatment, he was helped back onto the bus by the driver.
According to the man’s family, the driver then left the man alone on the bus and went inside the building for about 20 minutes. When the driver returned, the man had fallen in the bus and was bleeding. He could not be revived and died a few days later at a local hospital.
Should the driver have left the man there? Dialysis treatments can weaken the person’s body, making the individual more susceptible to serious injury. The man’s family recently filed a lawsuit against the bus company and the county under the Florida Wrongful Death Act.
But no amount of money will bring back this family’s loved one. It can help them financially as there are medical bills and funeral costs. But the family will also be left with questions. If the driver had stayed in the bus, would the man have fallen? Even if the fall had happened, would the driver have been able to get medical help to the man sooner? Would he still be alive if that was the case?
These types of questions may never be answered and are often the worst kind that a family faces in the wake of a terrible accident.
Source: Floriday Today online, “Family sues Space Coast Area Transit after Mims man’s death,” Rick Neale, 09 March 2011
