Spirits used in moderation can be a great way for people to let loose at the end of a long day and relax. However, for too many Pittsburgh residents, alcohol transforms from an occasional indulgence to overuse and abuse. For one man, convicted of at least 4 previous DUIs, this seems to be the theme of his life. Unfortunately, while on his self-destructive path, he struck a young woman jogging on the side of the road. This led to her untimely death.
Where this story takes an unusual turn, is what the family of the young woman has decided to pursue after their loved one’s terrible death. It has been reported that the family is seeking reparations against two Pennsylvanian bars that supposedly knowingly served too much to the man who struck the young woman jogging. The family claims that two bars knowingly continued to serve the man after he became visually intoxicated and then allowed him to leave the premises under his own control. The family is seeking damages.
The serving of the accused may have violated state liquor laws assuming that the bar knowingly served too much to the man. His blood content was alleged at two and a half times the legal limit immediately following the accident. For this reason the driver and the two bars he attended that day are being sued by the victim’s family under a wrongful death tort theory. This means that believes that the bars are partially, if not completely, responsible for the fatal accident that took their loved one.
Wrongful death suits are a way to place responsibility on a negligent party for a tragic incident like this one, especially when the result is financial and emotional hardship.
Source: pennlive.com, “Grotto Pizza, others sued in fatal Pa. DUI case,” John Lucieuw, Aug. 17, 2015