Norfolk, VA Wrongful Death Attorney Report – Woman is Sideswiped and Killed on the Shoulder of the I-64

A woman who had stopped on the side of the I-64 in Norfolk, VA was killed when she was sideswiped by a passing car.

Virginia State Police said this accident occurred at about 1:30pm on Jan. 22 on the Interstate east of the Northampton Blvd exit.

The driver who had pulled over and was hit was Charisse Turner, 40, from Portsmouth, VA WTKR.com reported. She was driving a 1993 BMW when she stopped to deal with a flat tire.

The station reported she was helped by another driver but as she returned to her car, she was fatally hit by a 1992 Mercury. The driver of the Mercury was later charged with reckless driving. Police said alcohol was not a factor.

As experienced Norfolk, VA based car accident injury attorneys, our thoughts are with the family of the victim. When you stop on the interstate you don’t expect to be sideswiped by a passing car.

Unfortunately a combination of high speeds and inattention on interstates such as I-64 make the shoulders of these highways dangerous places. In 2009 a tow truck driver was hit and killed on the shoulder of the I-64 in Newport News. In that case the driver who hit him was intoxicated.

The latest death on the interstate demonstrates how a brief lapse in attention or a mistake can prove tragic. As well as a criminal matter the family of the dead woman could have the basis to claim compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit.

In a case in Georgia (GA) a jury awarded the family of a woman who was killed by a tractor trailer $54.4 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.