Art director Ian Cuttler Sala, known primarily for his Grammy award-winning work on “Johnny Cash: The Legend,” was killed earlier this week in a car accident involving Sami Hayek, brother of actress Selma Hayek. Hayek received minor injuries, as did the driver of the truck that was stricken in the accident. The sad story illustrates what any Coral Springs car accident attorney can point out easily: it takes a very small margin of error for accidents to happen.
According to the most recent reports, police are investigating the accident, with a potential end of charging Hayek with manslaughter for the death of his passenger. According to information already released, the police have pointed to the fact that Hayek was speeding, with Detective Zachary Hutchins telling the Daily News, “He was driving too fast for the conditions, preliminarily speaking.” According to the evidence already documented by police, Hayek did not seem to be under the influence at the time. If you were to ask a Coral Springs car accident attorney, they would likely tell you that in a majority of cases, speed is a crucial factor in accidents—and this case is no different. While the police have not released an estimate of what speed exactly Hayek was traveling, he was over the 35mph speed limit when he lost control of the 2006 Ford GT he was driving, veering into the path of an oncoming Toyota Tacoma truck.
Sala’s death was met with poignancy by many of those in the industry he worked with. Singer Beyoncé took to Facebook to express her grief, saying “Ian was a Grammy Award winning art director and photographer who will be greatly missed. His memorable work includes album covers for ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ and ‘Dangerously in Love.’” According to authorities, Sala suffered “major” blunt force trauma to his body that resulted in rapid death—he was declared dead at the scene. Of course, one of the other issues involved in a situation such as this—one that a Coral Springs car accident attorney would know well—is the question of damages. Sala’s family will have expenses associated with putting him to rest as well as other expenses. As the investigation continues, the determinations made by the police will likely affect what kind of claim or settlement Sala’s family pursues—or if they pursue one at all.
The situation is certainly tragic; Sala was a well-respected member of the music industry community, and at 43 had many more years of talented contributions to make. It is unclear what led to Sala being in the car with Hayek—or how they knew each other. However, as police investigate the car accident, hearing more from witnesses and experts, more information regarding what happened—and how it came to pass that Sala was killed—will inform a great deal. While the family may be able to financially recover from the horrible accident, their lives will patently never be the same. Any Coral Springs car accident attorney will point out that while the financial compensation is helpful, it is simply not the same—and that many clients would rather not have the money than lose their loved one.