After the tragic death of a Great Bridge High School senior, Kaitlyn Duffy, her family decided to file a “$30 million wrongful death lawsuit” against the parties responsible for the teen’s death. Earlier this year Duffy was “killed by an accused drunk driver,” and the lawsuit itself was filed “against the driver and his employer, Great Bridge Furniture.”
After the tragic death of a Great Bridge High School senior, Kaitlyn Duffy, her family decided to file a “$30 million wrongful death lawsuit” against the parties responsible for the teen’s death. Earlier this year Duffy was “killed by an accused drunk driver,” and the lawsuit itself was filed “against the driver and his employer, Great Bridge Furniture.”
But what are the exact charges laid out in the lawsuit? Well, for starters, the lawsuit alleges that the driver, “Jerode Demetrius Johnson was negligent for driving recklessly and under the influence on May 19, causing a head-on collision that killed Duffy,” who was only 18-years-old at the time. In addition to claiming a life, the accident also “critically injured her friend, Sabrina Mundorff.”
In addition to the charges against the driver, the lawsuit also “accuses the furniture store of negligence for hiring and retaining Johnson and entrusting him to drive the box truck.”
The family’s lawsuit was filed earlier this month on December 1 in Circuit Court and “seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages.” In a statement regarding the lawsuit, the family’s attorney, Michelle McCracken said: “This is a horrific, tragic loss to the family. They are suffering and continue to suffer.”
While Great Bridge Furniture has yet to comment on the pending litigation, Johnson faces a number of charges, “including DUI manslaughter in an ongoing criminal case in Virginia Beach, where the crash occurred.” According to witness reports and the lawsuit, Johnson was driving dangerously the day of the accident before hitting Duffy. Some reported that “Johnson was driving erratically – swerving, tailgating and running off the road.” The fatal accident occurred when “he crossed the double yellow lines into oncoming traffic on Indian River Road and struck Duffy’s SUV.” From there, he attempted to flee the scene, and it was later discovered that he was “driving on a revoked or suspended license.”
Before Johnson was found by authorities following the accident, witness reports mentioned he was “trying to get rid of cocaine right after the crash.” Later toxicology reports also “found the drug present in his system,” and a toxicologist testified “Johnson had a blood alcohol content of 0.10 to 0.11 several hours later, an amount that would have been closer to 0.12 to 0.16 when he crashed. The legal limit for driving is 0.08.”
The latest ’bout of charges join a long list of others for Johnson, including prior convictions such as “possession of a controlled substance, driving on a suspended license, being drunk in public and firing a gun in public.”
With so many charges and prior convictions, why was he still employed as a driver for the furniture store? Well, that’s one of the questions the lawsuit hopes to find out, especially since the store received “complaints about Johnson’s driving and intoxication prior to the deadly crash.”
Sources:
Parents of Great Bridge High senior killed in Virginia Beach crash file $30M wrongful death suit
Driver Arrested After Virginia Beach Truck Crash Kills High School Senior
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