n auto accident may have many causes such as carelessness, intoxication, and mechanical failure. It is especially likely to cause a fatality when the car accident involves pedestrians.

A 48-year-old man from Quincy, Massachusetts, is charged with motor vehicle homicide after he allegedly struck his wife and son with his green Lincoln Town Car at 7:50 a.m. on Nov. 19, according to court records. Police report that he provided conflicting accounts of how the accident occurred. They say he initially reported that he was in the driver’s seat when the car began moving forward and he accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. He later said that he was in the passenger seat and was unable to reach the brake since he was wearing his seat belt.

Police report that the car exited left its parking spot behind the family’s home on Wall Street, hitting the man’s wife and son. It then hit a telephone pole and a wooden fence. The crash killed his wife, and his son was taken to a local hospital with internal injuries.

Police arrested the man and charged him with reckless driving, impeded operation and operating with a revoked driver’s license. He was arraigned on Nov. 19, and a pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14.

The relatives of a loved one who has been killed in a car accident should consider a range of legal options, including a personal injury claim. In this case, relatives of the woman who died may want to also pursue gaining custody of the boy when he recovers, along with a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the woman.

Source: The Boston Globe, “Quincy man charged with motor vehicle homicide in incident that killed wife and injured son,” Katheleen Conti and John R. Ellement, Nov. 19, 2012