Early in the morning on September 5, 2015 29-year old Edward Garrett Gottschall and his wife, 37-year old Nalee Yang, were killed in a car crash in Plant City, Florida after the driver of a 2008 Hyundai Sonata failed to stop. The driver was forty-seven year old David Thomas Flanagan. He was headed northbound when he failed to stop but an Isuzu Ascender SUV containing Stanley and Amy Dudek as well as their 1-year old daughter Sophia.
Flanagan was driving around 2:30am when he crashed into the Dudek family in their Ascender. The Sonata being driven by Flanagan swung into the path of Gottschall and Yang’s Corolla.
The married couple that passed away, Gottschall and Yang, were found deceased at the scene of the accident. The Dudek family only suffered minor injuries. Flanagan was taken to a hospital in Zephyrhills to be treated for his injuries.
One witness described the scene. He suspected that there was a loss of life when he noticed that the couple driving the Corolla, Gottschall and Yang, did not emerge from their vehicle even after it began to slightly catch on fire.
Paramedics rushed Flanagan to a hospital in Zephyrhills, where he was treated for his injuries. Flanagan was later arrested for two counts of DUI manslaughter and one count of driving while his license is suspended.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This amounts to one death every 51 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $59 billion.”
Individuals like Flanagan ” with a BAC of 0.08% or higher involved in fatal crashes were six times more likely to have a prior conviction for DWI than were drivers with no alcohol in their system.”
The couple’s death may result in a wrongful death case in the future.
Attorneys do not always rely on police reports to gain information. Personal injury lawyers often rely on private investigators to obtain more facts about each case. Are you looking for answers to your questions?
— Article by Richard D. Weaver, a Texas personal injury attorney.
