Wrongful death lawsuit filed against former Franklin County Sheriff Ewell Hunt - www.roanoke.comThe suit contends that Ewell Hunt and two deputies failed to protect Chad English. Ewell Hunt, the former Franklin County sheriff, and two of his deputies failed to heed an informant's tip that might have prevented the murder of a 19-year-old man, according to a wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday.
Mayo Clinic wrongful death trial beginsA 13-year-old girl's death after surgery at Saint Marys Hospital in 2009 is at issue in a wrongful death trial that started Monday, May 14, in Olmsted County District Court.
Tarell Waller and Javon Shantrice Williams Killed Crossing Street as Driver Ran Red Light in Houston, Texas
According to local reports, a 24-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were killed crossing a street in south Houston, Texas. The accident happened around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday, September 21 when the two were crossing W. Fuqua Street when a Toyota Corolla struck the two pedestrians, killing them on the scene. Witnesses have reported the two were crossing the street at the appropriate time and the female driver of the Toyota ran a red light. Police believe the driver was intoxicated. Names of the victims have not been released.
Update: The deceased have been identified as 24-year-old Tarell Waller and 22-year-old Javon Shantrice Williams. The driver has been identified as 30-year-old Chavon Latowya Frank and has been arrested.
Commentary I've said this in other blogs, but drunk driving is ripping apart our state. We hold the dubious distinction of having the most drunk driving accidents in the nation and this appears to be another horribly tragic example. To begin, a third party investigation is needed to determine liability in this accident. Many of you may be saying, and indeed some have expressed to me before, why does a liability determination need to be made if the driver was intoxicated? Well first, the driver's alleged intoxication should be corroborated. If she was indeed intoxicated, it is probably apparent she could face liability in the accident and subsequent wrongful death claims. When a driver chooses to drive under the influence, they make a negligent decision that puts everyone on the roadway at risk, including themselves. The law looks very poorly towards intoxicated drivers who are involved in an accident, regardless of the circumstances. Back to the liability determination, the state of Texas allows another defendant to be named in drunk driving accident claims, geared towards combating the cause of many of these accidents. The Texas Dram Shop Act is a collection of laws that hold bars or restaurants accountable if they were found to over-serve a patron who is involved in an accident. Unfortunately, the relationship a bar has with profitability has consequences, as making money means serving more drinks. While alcohol-serving companies are trained by the TABC to know when to cut off an intoxicated guest, many times these guidelines are overlooked in the name of profit. These dram shop laws aim to balance this interest the bars have, with the interest of safety for patrons. And no, the laws do not remove fault from the driver, they are still held accountable in both civil and criminal claims. Dram shop laws strike at one of the causes of these accidents (I certainly understand they are not the only cause) by putting some muscle behind the licensing rules TABC designed that allow these bars to legally serve alcohol. Since their implementation, statistically the state has experienced a drop in drunk driving accidents, so the laws are helping fight this epidemic. Houston Wrongful Death Attorney Michael Grossman
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Houston Wrongful Death Attorney Michael Grossman
| Posted on:
9/22/2011
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