Fatal accident on Cape Cod: Did pickup driver fall asleep?

A deadly Cape Cod motor vehicle accident in mid February resulted in criminal charges for a driver who apparently fell asleep at the wheel of his pickup truck. The fatal accident occurred in Bourne in the late afternoon. No explanation was offered by authorities as to why the 20-year-old truck driver dozed off at that hour.

The pickup driver is a resident of Cape Cod. Authorities indicate he lost control of his vehicle while traveling on Sandwich Road, swerving into the oncoming lane of travel. Tragically, two women in their early 80s were occupying a car that was struck head-on by the pickup.

A passenger in the car died from injuries sustained in the crash. The 81-year-old victim was a noted pediatrician from Middleboro who had retired from her medical practice. There were no reports of injury to the 82-year-old driver of the car in which the deceased victim had been riding.

Police have now charged the pickup driver with homicide by motor vehicle and related charges. As of a news report concerning the crash, an arraignment date in Falmouth District Court was pending a magistrate’s hearing. There was no indication that the accused man suffered any injuries in the collision.

The criminal charges against the man will now proceed through the Massachusetts court system. In the meantime, the deceased woman’s family has the right to pursue a civil claim as a result of the fatal accident. If the family can prove that the man negligently caused the collision, claims for reimbursement of monetary damages sustained will be heard. The family’s burden of proving liability may be eased by the fact that the pickup driver has apparently admitted he fell asleep while driving his vehicle.

Source: capecodonline.com, “Police: Cape pediatrician died in crash caused by sleeping driver,” Amy Anthony, Feb. 25, 2013