Even a small vehicle can cause significant damage and death when it goes out of control. That proved painfully clear on an Ohio highway on Oct. 21, 2011, when a Chevy Cavalier crossed a median on Ohio 129. The fatal accident left the driver of a Chevrolet Cavalier dead, destroyed two other vehicles and left another driver fighting for his life in the hospital.

Reportedly, the driver of the Cavalier was not wearing a safety belt, and the impact ejected him through his vehicle's rear window. The Cavalier struck a Chevrolet Suburban, which went airborne and landed on a Toyota Sienna. The impact tore the Cavalier's engine and front axle away, carrying those pieces of heavy machinery about 30 feet from the crash. A driver and passenger in the Sienna van had no reported injuries. The driver of the Suburban incurred life-threatening injuries, though a passenger's injuries only required treatment at the scene.

The fatal accident's cause may be lost with the life of the driver. Police did not speculate about the cause of the crash. Interviews with one eyewitness shed no light on why the smaller car crossed from the westbound lane into oncoming traffic.

Car accident victims often incur expensive medical bills and lost income due to time spent away from work. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that fatal crashes cost a total of $41 billion in loss of work and medical expenses across the country. Ten states, including Ohio, account for half of these costs, with over $1.2 billion dollars in fatal accident related expenses in this state alone.

Sources: The Middletown Journal, "Driver of SUV hit in fatal 129 crash remains in serious condition," Oct. 24, 2011

InsuranceJournal.com, "Cost of Fatal Car Crashes by State," May 13, 2011