AUSTIN, Texas — Austin Police Department is investigating a fatal accident involving two vehicles that left one person dead and another injured. Officials said a silver sedan and a white sedan crashed on a busy roadway.
Authorities said the accident happened May 17 at approximately 3:33 p.m. in the 2300 block of East Riverside Drive. Emergency personnel arrived to find both vehicles damaged and two people hurt.
Officials identified the deceased as Juanita Cortinas, 68. She was a passenger in the silver sedan and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said said the driver of the silver sedan was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the white sedan sustained minor injuries and was not hospitalized.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Juanita Cortinas tragically killed in Austin 2-vehicle accident
CRASH INVESTIGATION
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, there were 33,654 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2018 in which 36,560 deaths occurred. This resulted in 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.13 deaths per 100 million miles traveled.
“Road conditions, visibility, and lighting are all possible contributing factors that are considered and must thoroughly be examined,” said Candice Bond, a Managing Partner with Bond Legal.
“An accident reconstruction team is sometimes needed to help piece together what happened. All of these resources are necessary for helping clients receive monetary compensation for damages or a loss following a collision,” said Bond.
WRONGFUL DEATH CLAIM
Pending the investigation, the family of Juanita Cortinas may be entitled to a wrongful death claim. Family members of wrongful death victims may seek damages for loss of companionship, pain and suffering, and emotional distress following a tragic or catastrophic accident such as this.
“The stress and sorrow can be extremely overwhelming after losing a loved one in an accident,” said Stefano Formica, of counsel at Bond Legal.
“We understand just what families are forced to go through, and having their rights protected is vital. A wrongful death lawyer will stay updated on the official investigation and help ensure that their legal rights and best interests are protected.”
If you or a family member have been involved in a situation similar to this article and would like to speak to our national legal analyst Candice Bond free of charge, please use the contact information found on this page
(Candice Bond, our national legal analyst, is a Managing Partner at Bond Legal. Accident Injury News can and does use quotes from prior interviews with our analysts for our news articles. If you would like to contact Bond Legal to help you, please call 866-986-7738 or use the submission box found on this page. Legal analysts quoted may or may not be licensed in your state).
