Two North Carolina teenagers, sisters, were killed in a tragic accident on a rural highway when they were attempting to pass a school bus.
According to the report by the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, the 16-year-old driver of a 2006 Ford Freestyle tried to maneuver around the slower vehicle on N.C. 18 by overtaking it in the passing zone, but the car’s driver misjudged and hit a GMC pickup coming in the opposite direction head-on.
According to investigators, the pickup’s driver tried to avert the accident but didn’t have time. The pickup overturned and eventually stopped against the guardrail at the side of the highway. That driver survived, but the young girl driving the Ford and her 12-year-old passenger did not.
Two-lane highways are often the scenes of accidents when drivers try to pass slower vehicles without adequate clearance. One of the most common mistakes that drivers make is to pull out when they hit a dotted yellow line and promptly floor the gas pedal. Instead, drivers who are trapped behind a slow vehicle should always fall back far enough to see if there is oncoming traffic before they attempt a risky pass. That also gives you some space to pull back to the right if it turns out that you can’t make the pass safely.
It’s also safest to pick your moment to pass carefully. Sometimes a dotted yellow line isn’t as wisely placed as it might be.
Fatal car accidents can easily happen anywhere — even on relatively quiet rural highways. The survivors of those who die in such accidents often have to struggle to manage their loved one’s burial expenses and other final costs along with their grief. They may need an experienced attorney to look at the situation to determine where liability should fall and learn more about their legal options.
