Victim’s Family Sues Driver of Pickup Truck Involved in Fatal Shelter Cove Crash
Nervous drivers regard left turns onto major roads with trepidation. Sometimes there is no break in the traffic flow when there is an obvious chance to turn, and eventually you have to summon the courage to turn and just hope that the other drivers slow down for you. Many accidents happen when a car turning left onto a busy road collides with one traveling straight. When this happens enough times or causes enough damage to life and property, the city will usually install a traffic light or some other means of preventing accidents at the intersection. This was one of the motivations for the improvements to the Shelter Cove corridor, where a man was killed in June 2019 when turning left out of the Shelter Cove Plaza. If you have been seriously injured in an accident that could have been prevented by adequate traffic signals, contact a South Carolina car accident lawyer.
Corvette Collides with Pickup Truck, Then Crashes Into Tree
One June 7, 2019, Norman McNeill was driving his blue 1965 Corvette in the Shelter Cove community of Hilton Head Island. When McNeill made a left turn out of the Shelter Cove Plaza onto Highway 289, he collided with a pickup truck in a southbound lane which failed to yield the right of way. The impact of the collision caused McNeill’s car to veer off the left side of the road and crash into a tree. McNeill died of his injuries shortly after the accident; he was 77 years old. John Tilton, the driver of the pickup truck, sustained minor injuries in the accident.
In May 2020, McNeill’s family filed a lawsuit against Tilton, who lives in New Jersey. In their complaint, they alleged that Tilton’s gross negligence was the cause of McNeill’s death, because Tilton did not yield the right of way to McNeill. Tilton argues that he should not be held liable for the damages because McNeill was speeding, driving erratically, and not wearing a seatbelt. In July 2020, the case was transferred from the state courts to the U.S. District Court of South Carolina. The reason for the transfer was that the plaintiffs were seeking more than $75,000, and the U.S. District Courts typically hear personal injury cases where large amounts of money are at stake.
In response to the fatal accident and similar, but less destructive, incidents in the area, the town of Hilton Head has undertaken major improvement projects to the Shelter Cove corridor. The plaintiffs have not filed a lawsuit against Hilton Head or Beaufort County. When catastrophic accidents are the result of dangerous road conditions, the plaintiffs can file a premises liability lawsuit against the private or public entity responsible for the area where the accident took place.
Let Us Help You Today
A Columbia car accident lawyer can help you recover economic and noneconomic damages after a preventable car accident. Contact The Stanley Law Group for a consultation on your case.
Resource:
islandpacket.com/news/local/crime/article244217692.html
welcometosheltercove.com/
