Brittney Richardson Killed in Monroe County, AR, Car Accident
Monroe County, AR -- March 3, 2017, Brittney Richardson was killed due to an accident in which her vehicle crashed off the highway.
A preliminary report released by the Arkansas State Police indicates that the accident happened just after 10:00 a.m. south of Clarendon.
According to the report, 21-year-old Richardson was driving a Toyota Corolla southbound along Highway 79. For reasons yet to be determined, the vehicle lost control and veered off the side of the highway. This resulted in the car crashing into a concrete embankment and coming to a halt.
Richardson was critically injured in the crash. Emergency medical officials say she was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, authorities have not released any additional details concerning the accident. Investigations are ongoing.
Map of the Area
Commentary
I think a lot of people are going to read this report, see that roads were wet at the time, and assume that Miss Richardson was speeding when the accident happened. I will admit that this is a very common cause of accidents like this, but people should also be aware that common is not the same thing as correct. Ultimately, we don't have all the facts surrounding this crash, so there is no way to make an informed conclusion about what caused the accident.
There are a lot of things like mechanical failure, tire blowouts, defective parts, and other such factors which can cause a vehicle to lose control. Factors like this often leave drivers with little to no warning, so they can't reasonably be expected to compensate for them. Not only that, but they aren't the most common causes, so police investigators often overlook such details. Only once a secondary investigation is conducted do factors like these come to light.
Did something like that happen here? I have no way of knowing--in fact, no one does. And that's my point. We can jump to conclusions as much as we want, but that doesn't do anything for the surviving family who is grieving for a lost loved one. Hearing people make negative assumptions about the death of a loved one serves only to further harm those who are already suffering. The only right thing to do after an accident like this is reserve judgements until all of the facts come to light. Only once that is done can those affected move forward toward a just resolution.
--Grossman Law Offices
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