TRAFFIC DEATHS ARE UP IN ERIE COUNTY

Unless something dramatic changes, traffic deaths in Erie County, Pennsylvania, are going to be up this year. In 2014, there were 39 total deaths that were linked to accidents and injuries. This year, there are already 38, with more than a month—at the beginning of winter, no less—to go.

There has really been an uptick lately. From Oct. 10 to Nov. 22, 10 people were killed in accidents. Police said that all of the crashes and deaths were preventable.

Some of them were very odd. For instance, one woman first left her cats at a Starbucks coffee shop. She left food for them and had them in crates. After leaving them, she ran head-on into another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle passed away.

The woman, though, did not die in the accident. She got out of her car and apparently walked off. The police found her body in a pond. They are still investigating as they try to figure out what happened. They have some ideas, but they warn that they may never be able to prove which one is right. That crash happened back on Nov. 9.

The list of other victims is quite long. A 79-year-old pedestrian was hit while crossing the street. A 31-year-old man was killed when he drove into the wrong lanes on West 26th Street. A 34-year-old man was killed and his friend was also hit by a car as they walked near a road and the car swerved into them.

These are just a few examples, but the overall numbers show how important it is for the family members of those who have been killed to know their rights.

Source: Go Erie, “Probe continues into fatal crashes in Erie region,” Tim Hahn, Nov. 22, 2015