Harnett County, NC Car-Motorcycle Accident Lead to Two Deaths

Chris Smith and Ashli Armstrong were enjoying a ride on a motorcycle in Harnett County, North Carolina (NC), when their lives came to sudden, tragic ends. A man driving a car drifted left of the center line and smashed into the couple's motorcycle head-on. Both bike riders died as a result of the car-motorcylce crash. Smith was only 27 years old, and Armstrong was only 20.

Our deeepest sympathies go out to the friends and families of Smith and Armstrong. Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult experiences anyone can go through in life, but it is especially challenging when the loss is due to a sudden, preventable accident. To make matters worse, both of the victims in this accident were so young and had their whole lives a head of them. Smith was employed as an insurance agent, and Armstrong was a nursing student who also volunteered with Dunn Emergency Services.

The at-fault driver was charged with impaired driving and two counts of felony death by motor vehicle, according to nbc17.com. The State Highway Patrol are reporting that the at-fault driver was reaching for his iPod when this NC wreck occurred. The police also suspect that alcohol may have been a factor, but are waiting for test results.

The family of the victims may want to consider filing a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver. If it turns out the at-fault driver was intoxicated at the time of the crash, there may be grounds for pursuing punitive damages. This is a form of additional recovery that also sends a message that the behavior which led to the punitive damages will not be tolerated.

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