A woman who said she left her native state to escape growing violence has been tragically killed in a car wreck, according to local authorities. The woman, who moved to Nebraska thirteen years ago, was killed when a prison inmate driving a van collided with her vehicle. Police are investigating the specifics of the car accident, but no charges have yet been filed.
Police say the woman was driving home from her shift at a local hospital when her vehicle was struck by a van licensed to a state correctional facility. The van was driven by an inmate given dispensation to pick up inmates returning from work details throughout the area. The inmate behind the wheel has several DUI and reckless driving charges in his criminal record.
The specifics of the accident are unavailable at the time of this writing, but the woman was killed in the head-on collision. There is no word as to the condition of the inmate who was driving the vehicle. However, Nebraska lawmakers have said they will be reviewing the policies influencing inmates given license to drive correctional facility vehicles — in the meantime, they say, all driving will be handled by prison employees.
Legal representation for the woman killed in this tragic car accident has said the family will be pursuing a wrongful death law suit. This case is unique in that the accident was perpetrated by a man already behind bars, so the law suit will focus not only on the inmate himself, but also on the prison that allowed him to drive the vehicle in the first place. This case will be handled in a Nebraska civil court.
Source: abclocal.go.com, “Former Chicago resident dies in Nebraska car crash,” Ravi Baichwal, July 4, 2013