Wife of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman dies in traffic crash https://t.co/CwB4605mht
— TIME (@TIME) May 10, 2017
Tragedy struck Tuesday afternoon when Kathy Berman, wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, died in a car accident on Connecticut’s Route 64.
Berman, 67, collided with Edward Bertulis, 87, around 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Bertulis’s 14-year-old Ford Escape hit a utility pole and rolled onto its roof, while Berman’s Lexus SC 430 veered off the road and through an embankment before landing on its side in a small body of water.
Police are determining if Bertulis suffered a medical emergency just prior to the accident, according to the Hartford Courant.
Berman leaves behind her husband Chris and their two children. Berman’s death is a reminder that car accidents are among the most sudden, and unfortunately, frequent tragedies that affect Americans every day.
Katherine Berman, the wife of longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, died in a car crash yesterday https://t.co/YysWTN6t9w pic.twitter.com/mTZcNP1Iff
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) May 10, 2017
Danger on the Pavement
Car accidents are a significant cause of injury and death annually in the U.S. 2.5 million Americans received emergency treatment following a car accident every year, and almost 8 percent of them end up in the hospital for their injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Worse still, the number of fatal accidents is on the rise. Since 2011, car accident related fatalities jumped more than 15 percent from 29,757 deaths to 35,092 deaths based on a report from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. This makes driving one of the most dangerous activities in the country.
You can minimize your danger by practicing responsible driving. Alcohol, speeding, and distracted driving are the three greatest causes of road fatalities, according to the National Safety Council. Still, even if you avoid these dangerous behaviors behind the wheel, you must also keep an eye out for other drivers who may not be as concerned about safety.
Injuries in an auto accident can also be the result of poor road or car manufacturing design. Embankments and barriers are intended to promote safety while driving, but oftentimes their design can contribute to accidents. Similarly, defective safety measures in cars may fail to protect you, resulting in serious injury or death.
In the meantime, authorities continue to investigate the cause of the accident. Our thoughts are with the Berman family during this painful time, and with all car accident victims as they recover.
(Editor’s Note: This is a news story from the ‘Morgan Monitor,’ a news wire offering legal perspectives on news in your community.)
Feature Photo: A screenshot of a New England Sports Network report.
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