When a person dies in an accident caused by someone else, it can be hard for the victim's family to process his or her death, along with the associated expenses. In addition to any initial medical expenses, there are usually funeral and burial costs. Many families elect to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the person who caused the death. But what if that person hasn't been found or been proven guilty?

An elderly woman from northeast Ohio is denying she was the driver of a car that fatally struck a 13-year-old boy and then left the scene. The crash happened in October when the boy was walking along a road with friends, handing out invitations to his birthday party. The driver left the scene after crashing into him, and he died the next day in a hospital from blunt force trauma to his head.

In their search for the driver, police received a tip from the office manager of a body shop. She told police the elderly woman was acting strange when she brought her car in for body work and insisted on paying for the damage without reporting it to her insurance company. Police towed the car from the shop the following day and arrested the woman, who had a clean driving record and no criminal history. She was released shortly thereafter for medical reasons.

If the woman is found to have caused the accident, the boy's family could decided to file a wrongful death suit against her. Although not much information has been disclosed about her lifestyle or income -- in other words, whether she could afford damages awarded to the family -- she could still be required to compensate the family for their loss and expenses associated with his death.

Source: ONNtv.com, "NE Ohio Woman Pleads Not Guilty In Accident," Jan. 17, 2011