The surviving family members of people killed in accidents have the right to file wrongful death lawsuits against the parties responsible for causing the accident, regardless of the ages of the victims. If a 90-year-old dies in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, it is still an untimely death. The surviving relatives can seek damages for the funeral expenses, the medical expenses for treatment of injuries that eventually became fatal, and the untimely loss of the victim’s companionship. If the victim of a fatal accident was in the workforce, then the family members who depended on him or her financially can also request compensatory damages for the income that the victim would have earned if it had not been for the accident. In general, the younger the victim, the greater the monetary value the courts assign to the victim’s lost time on Earth. If you lost a family member in a traffic accident for which someone else was at fault, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accidents and car accidents lawyer.
Newlyweds From Palau Were Beginning a New Life Together in the Southwestern United States
Serenne Mikel and Casey Daniel both grew up in Palau, but they married in the Southwestern United States in the summer of 2025, when they were both 23 years old. After a road trip honeymoon, they were on their way to Texas to move into their marital home. On July 29, Mikel was driving the couple’s 2007 Ford, and Daniel was in the passenger seat. Just before 4:00 in the afternoon, a 2016 Hyundai approached at high speed from the opposite direction, blowing past other vehicles in its lane, and eventually struck the newlyweds’ vehicle head-on. According to witnesses, the car burst into flames, and bystanders attempted to render assistance. Mykel and Daniel were both pronounced dead at the scene shortly after first responders arrived. They spent only 22 days together as a married couple before they died. The driver of the Hyundai was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
The victims’ closest relative in the United States is Mikel’s aunt, who lives in Washington state; the rest of their family members live in Palau, an island nation in the South Pacific. Mikel’s aunt set up a fundraiser online to pay for funeral expenses and the transportation of the victims’ bodies to Palau for burial. If the surviving relatives of Mikel and Daniel decide to file a wrongful death lawsuit, which they have the right to do, the proper venue for it is New Mexico. The state where the accident occurred is the one where the courts have jurisdiction, regardless of the place of residence of the people involved in the accident.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in car accidents in New Mexico. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article311614598.html
https://people.com/newlyweds-killed-crash-new-mexico-3-weeks-after-wedding-11785823
Photo by Mariano Rivas on Unsplash