Texas truck accident lawyers describe an incident that stands out for its injustice. There’s a man in Washington State named Dale Satorius who knows the biting pain of loss coupled with injustice. A negligent dump truck driver caused a collision in Pennsylvania that killed Mrs. Hui Satorius and injured the 5-year-old daughter.
A Pennsylvania trooper named Kevin Frey, scheduled to retire the day following the accident, responded to the scene of the violent collision. In spite of the reckless driving and negligence described in accounts of the wreck, the trooper decided to issue the PA dump truck driver only a minor traffic citation. The Pennsylvania trooper said he wanted to close out all of his pending cases before he retired. And he might have wanted to smooth the way to his own retirement more than he wanted to ensure that justice was done in the case.
The widower of Mrs. Satorius is understandably angry that this retiring trooper let the negligent PA dump truck driver off so easily just to smooth the way to his own retirement. The Bellevue, WA widower has been asking for justice. But prosecutors in Perry County, PA say that “double jeopardy” rules may make it impossible to bring further criminal charges against the negligent dump truck driver.
Dale Satorius maintains that letting the negligent PA dump truck driver off with only a minor citation for the needless, fatal collision sets a bad example. He says that it makes reckless driving and the negligent taking of innocent lives seem like a minor issue. Our Texas truck accident lawyers think he’s right.
Pennsylvania authorities, wittingly or unwittingly, have taken the position through the PA trooper’s action and through the failure to pursue further action after the fatal dump truck accident that human life carries less value than a smooth retirement for a government servant. While many people might believe that this exactly represents the attitude of government officials toward the populace they supposedly represent and whose interests they supposedly uphold, we’re not sure it’s good policy to be so blatant about it.
These Texas truck accident lawyers note that Dale Satorius has some recourse against the negligent PA dump truck driver. He could bring a civil lawsuit claiming monetary compensation for the loss of his wife and her companionship. But no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of a beloved spouse. And no amount of monetary damages takes a dangerous truck driver off the road where he could potentially injure or kill others.
Pursuing truck collision claims involves a great deal of time, effort, and technical evidence. After a man has lost his wife to a violent collision, he probably does not want to dive head first into a complicated out of state lawsuit to get justice. Our Texas truck accident lawyers understand that.
Anyone interested in taking a look at some of the matters involved in undertaking a complex truck collision compensation claim could download our free book. The book describes some of the steps to take to make a successful truck accident claim. The book is available free to our readers on this website. Just click and download.