• 19
  • January
    2012

Drinking and driving is illegal not only when an intoxicated person gets behind the wheel of a car, but also any other type of motor vehicle. The combination of drinking and driving a motor vehicle can have catastrophic consequences, especially when speeding is also involved.

In 2009, a 19-year-old Maryland college student was killed when an ATV on which he was a passenger flipped over. The driver of the ATV was drunk.

After the drunk driving accident, the young man's father brought a wrongful death lawsuit against the drunk driver, another college student, along with the driver's family who allegedly served the teens alcohol before the fatal accident.

According to the lawsuit, the ATV driver was intoxicated and speeding when he lost control of the ATV and flipped it over. His 19-year-old passenger died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the crash.

The passenger was visiting the alleged drunk driver over the summer with plans to attend the area's Independence Day celebration. What should have been a fun weekend getaway turned tragic when, according to the boy's father, the parents of the other teen served alcohol on a "continuous basis" in the hours leading up to the accident. When the young allegedly intoxicated pair headed out on the ATV the parents did nothing to stop them.

The wrongful death suit arising out of this crash was recently settled, with the family of the alleged ATV driver agreeing to pay the father $2.7 million. Although no amount of money can possibly bring back a beloved son, hopefully this settlement will bring a sense of closure to the passenger's father by representing some form of justice for his son's death and holding those responsible accountable for the damage that they have caused.

Source: Scranton Times Tribune, "Fatal ATV crash suit settled for $2.7 million," Joe McDonald, Jan. 13, 2012