Three People Injured as Vehicle Struck Ditch in Columbiana, OH

Three People Injured as Vehicle Struck Ditch in Columbiana, OH

A driver who made an improper lane change was allegedly the cause of an accident that occurred in Fairfield, Columbiana, Ohio, on January 4, 2015, at approximately 00:45 am. Reports from the OSHP are that a 19-year-old youth was driving a white 1998 Ford Mustang midsize car with 4 other occupants on board. He traveled east on State Route 558 and crossed the center line, drove the car off the north side of the roadway and allegedly struck a ditch and an embankment. Three of the occupants, Michael A. Routh 20, Timmothy John Oneil 18 and Payton Elizabeth Albano, also 18 years, were injured and treated at the scene by East Palestine EMS. The fourth occupant, Tracie Holtz 18, was not injured. The youth was not injured but charged with operating his vehicle without reasonable control. J & J towed the car.

The factors that contributed to the crash were roadside, wet, cloudy, not a collision of two vehicles, dark not lighted, midsize, improper lane change, ditch, and embankment. The accidents that occurred on the roadside in 2013 and resulted in injuries were 7,772. Drivers who crashed and sustained injuries because they made improper lane changes were 4,744 in 2013. Apart from the driver’s failure to yield, other circumstances that contributed to this crash were angle, dark, not lighted roadway, midsize and full-size vehicles.

Proving fault or “Breach” in a Motor Vehicle Accident is vital to the outcome of a personal injury claim. All personal injury claims must be based on a Negligence claim. The four parts to a negligence claim are Duty, Breach, Cause, and Damages. For our purposes, the fault is the same as a breach. A Breach occurs when one party’s conduct falls below the reasonable standard of care. Therefore, if there is no fault that can be assigned to another party there can be no underlying negligence claim.

If you were injured in Fairfield, Hanover or Franklin, Ohio, accident, please call the Columbiana County, Ohio, car accident attorneys at Chester Law at 1-800-218-4243.