Niles Area Mother And 3 Year Old Son Killed In Truck Accident; Edwardsburg Area Truck Driver Uninjured
Yesterday's sate-wide ice storm turned deadly in the Niles area. Ambrosia Foreman and her son--Camden John Foreman, age 3--were riding in Foreman's van when their vehicle slid on ice and collided nearly head-on into an oncoming truck.
Snowplow driver Stephen Axline, of Edwardsburg, was uninjured.
State Police used West Michigan media reports of the event to emphasize the importance of winter driving tactics. Abundant accumulations of snow, followed by warming temperatures and then by freezing temperatures can turn a road into an ice skating rink. Drive accordingly, warned the police: Slow down; Begin trips earlier, and; Stay farther back from the vehicle ahead.
Other considerations come into play after the fact. Those include the insurance benefits due and owing to the surviving family members. At a time like this, however, survivor's loss benefits and other forms of compensation are the last thing on the Foreman family's agenda.
Another common reason for inaction in cases like this is the assumption that compensation for injuries is unavailable, where the negligent driver was the injured passenger's parent. In fact, that is rarely an impediment to a monetary settlement.
Ready or not, however, the clock is ticking, thanks to laws passed by insurance industry-friendly legislators in Lansing. Accordingly, injury victims' rights expire with the passage of time. And once that bell has rung, it cannot be un-rung.
On top of those hurdles, the Foreman family is facing a behind-the-scenes army of insurance lawyers. Their mission? To legally sink or minimize the Foreman family's claims.
Which is precisely where the skills of an experienced Grand Rapids truck accident lawyer become indispensable.
Woman Dies In Niles Accident, WNDU 16 News, February 22, 2011
