Multiple people were injured and three killed after a truck crossed the median and crashed head-on into a family’s Kia Optima. According to reports, the Poole family was traveling east on I-90 in a 2016 Kia Optima when a westbound semi-truck crashed through the median and struck the family’s vehicle head-on.
The accident resulted in catastrophic injuries, including three deaths. The driver of the Kia Optima, Justin Poole, along with an unidentified ten-year-old child, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Twenty-seven-year-old Micaela Buckholt was transported to Harborview Medical center for treatment of serious injuries, where she later passed away.
Nicole Poole, along with an unidentified six-year-old child, were transported to area hospitals for medical treatment.
Charges against the trucker are currently under investigation. No further information was immediately available.
The trucker and all other wrongdoers must be held accountable for the harm caused to this innocent family
This is an absolutely horrific crash that never should have happened. This collision was entirely preventable and completely unacceptable. The Poole family are innocent victims of others’ negligence, and the survivors will suffer the consequences of such acts for the rest of their lives. Such harm cannot go unanswered.
It goes without stating that the emotional, mental, and financial harm caused by this crash will be devastating to the surviving mother, child, and extended family. While the law can do nothing to provide for the emotional and mental healing needed, it can hold all wrongdoers financially responsible for the financial damages caused by their actions. Under the law, wrongdoers are responsible for the impact of their actions. This includes, among others, the medical treatment needed to heal and the pain and suffering experienced from the loss of a loved one.
The financial harm will be substantial given the multiple injuries and death, and it will be important to identify all wrongdoers to ensure the surviving family receives all compensation they are entitled. The trucker alone likely has insufficient insurance to cover the full extent of harm. This is one reason it is important to identify all wrongdoers who may have other insurance to cover damages in excess of the trucker’s available coverage.
In our experience, many acts of clear negligence like the one here are the result of corporate wrongdoing. Why was this trucker in a position to commit such a dangerous act? Did the company conduct a background check or have any safeguards to prevent dangerous drivers from harming the motoring public? Likewise, while less likely, approximately 10% of truck accidents are caused by mechanical failures. Was there a mechanical issue that played a role here? If so, who was responsible for maintaining the truck, or was it a mechanical defect that the manufacturer of the truck was responsible for?
Answers to these questions, and others like them, are needed before all wrongdoing can be identified and all accountable parties held accountable.
This is one of the most horrific crashes I have seen on our roadways in some time, and I am deeply saddened by the pain the Poole family must endure because someone else failed to drive properly. I offer my deepest condolences and pray for their continued strength during this difficult time of grief of healing.
A GoFundMe to help support the family has been set up.
*******
The Ammons Law Firm represents clients nationwide in catastrophic injury and wrongful death litigation, with extensive experience in complex auto/tire defect and commercial vehicle cases.
Disclaimer: This post is not legal advice. Information contained in this blog was compiled from third-party sources or is the opinion of the author. Please inform us immediately if false or misleading information is contained in this post.
