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.
Sonia Sevilla Killed in Accident with Suspected Drunk Driver in Donna, Texas
Local news reports indicate a woman was killed in a collision with a
suspected drunk driver in Donna, near McAllen, Texas. The wreck occurred
around 2 a.m. Sunday, October 30 when police believe 29-year-old David
Cid was driving home from McAllen with 28-year-old Joanna Veronica
Williams when he struck a Chevy Tahoe. The Tahoe rolled several times,
seriously injuring the driver, Sonia Sevilla. She was taken to McAllen
Medical Center where she later passed away. According to the police
report, Cid informed officers he and Williams had drinks at two
different locations in McAllen. He has been charged with intoxication
manslaughter.
Commentary Texas
holds the dubious distinction of being one of the worst states in the
nation regarding drunk driving deaths. When alcohol is suspected to be a
cause of an accident, the police reports are vital in either
establishing or disproving this link. If an intoxication determination
is made, a third party investigation is then needed to develop a
strategy moving forward regarding any potential civil remedies.
Again, this has not been established, but if the intoxication
link is proven, by the man's admission and the separate investigation,
another party could be partially at fault in the accident. If a bar or
restaurant is found to serve a patron past the point of intoxication,
and then that guest becomes involved in an accident, the establishment
could be on the hook for some of the fault. This was codified in the
Texas Dram Shop Act as a way to give the guidelines set forth by the
TABC some strength. These guidelines state it is illegal to serve
someone after they are "obviously intoxicated," a state in which TABC
trains servers to be aware. Once this level of intoxication is reached,
service must stop or not only does the bar face some potential fault,
but the patron becomes a risk to themselves and others. One
thing the law does not do, however, is fully fault an alcohol-serving
establishment in a drunk driving accident. As mentioned, they are only
partially liable, as at the end of the day, bartenders were not the ones
driving the vehicle. When a bar or restaurant is added to a
wrongful death claim, it not only aids in compensating a victim or their
survivors, but also puts these entities on notice that their negligent
actions cannot continue. The hope is that this action is what changes a
business' practices and possibly prevents a future accident.
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