Mysterious Charlotte Car Accident Kills One Man and Seriously Hurts Another. What Happened, and Why?

February 7, 2013, by Michael A. DeMayo

A survivor of a fatal Charlotte car accident is in serious condition at the Carolinas Medical Center.

29-year old Neal Raymond Audet was in critical condition before his medical situation became even more dire. Last Sunday night, Audet and 30-year old Brian Christian Carroll crashed on Zacks Fork Road in Lenoir, after Carroll’s 2000 Ford Mustang flipped around and slid. Carroll died stuck inside the car, while Audet got thrown from the vehicle. Lenoir Police Chief, Scott Brown, said that he and his officials are working to investigate the cause of the accident. Brown refused to tell reporters what factors might have contributed (e.g. alcohol or drugs, speed, strange road conditions, etc.) He did say that blood samples were taken.

Reconstructing a North Carolina car accident is hard enough work, even if you can collect eyewitness statements. When everyone involved is critically injured or killed, the forensic work becomes that much more difficult. Myriad factors can influence how, when, why, and where crashes occur. For instance:

•    A tire may blow out;
•    A worn steering or braking component may fail at an inopportune moment;
•    A driver might get distracted by a conversation or cell phone;
•    Stress, fatigue, medication and alcohol can interfere with driver reaction times.

These aggravating factors don’t occur in a vacuum, either.

For instance, someone who drives under the influence might encounter debris in the road, fail to react in time and thus flip his car. If you fail to suss out all contributing factors, you might misdiagnose what caused the accident and thus mis-apportion blame and go after the wrong people or parties for damages.

It’s a complicated business.

It’s further complicated by the fact that witnesses — particularly drivers who might be liable — can purposely mislead or lie to investigators. Furthermore, even so-called objective test, like breathalyzer and blood alcohol tests, are often shockingly unreliable.

To get a better handle on what happened in your case and what you might be able to do about it, from a legal point of view, call the Law Offices of Michael A. DeMayo today to schedule a free consultation with us. We’re on your side. We can help you make sense of the past few days or weeks and approach your situation resourcefully and intelligently.