In the valley, there are plenty of multi-lane roadways which have a rural feel to them. These streets don’t have many houses or buildings on them, just desert landscape and open space. Some drivers may assume that these "empty" roads are like highways, and therefore motorists always have the right of way at intersections.
But that assumption is not only incorrect, it can be deadly.
That may have explained a fatal auto accident over the weekend in the west valley. Shortly after 12:15am Sunday morning, a 2010 Subaru Impreza was driving eastbound on Flamingo Road in Summerlin. According to investigators, the car ran a stop sign at the intersection of Town Center Drive (just south of the Las Vegas Beltway) and slammed into a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Both of the Sonata’s occupants – the 67-year old male driver and a 57-year old female passenger – were pronounced dead on the scene.
The intersection is regulated by a four-way stop sign. But because both roads don’t have many structures near that intersection, the 23-year old man who was driving the Impreza may have felt that he had the right of way. The fact that he may not have noticed the stop sign in the dark could also have been a contributing factor.
Nevertheless, the Impreza driver will probably be held liable for the deaths of the two Sonata occupants. As the result, their surviving family members could choose to file wrongful death lawsuits against the 23-year old man. If the man and woman were related, then only one wrongful death lawsuit may be necessary.