According to a recent article from The Guardian, a lawsuit involving a 2011 car accident that occurred at the Yale vs. Harvard football game has finally reached a settlement.
Unfortunately, when he stepped on the gas to rev the engine, it was still in drive, and the vehicle rapidly accelerated into crowed. Driver told police that he tried to slam on the brakes at this point, but, instead, he stepped down hard on the gas pedal again, causing the truck to head further into the crowd of people. When the truck drove into the dense crowd, a 30-year-old woman was killed and two other female victims were serious injured.
Following the accident, police first suspected driver was intoxicated and administered a series of standardized field sobriety tests, but driver is said to have passed them all. At this point, the police placed him under arrest for negligent homicide. He was also charged with reckless driving.
At this point, defendant was allowed to be placed into probation, and not only avoid jail, but have his record expunged once he satisfied all conditions of his probation, including preforming 400 hours of community service.
The family of the woman who was killed in this fatal car accident and the other victims filed a lawsuit naming the truck rental company, the university, the driver, driver’s fraternity, and over 80 members of the fraternity as defendants in this car accident lawsuit.
The university also decided to change the rules for those attending tailgating events. Kegs are no longer allowed and only authorized venders with preapproval can drive a truck onto the stadium parking grounds. In other words, ESPN can drive a truck onto campus, but not a fraternity member bringing beer to the party.
It should be noted that the terms of the settlement are kept private, but it is known that nobody was required to admit liability in connection with this case, as is common practice when a settlement is reached. A settlement usually involves the parties signing a general release of liability as a condition of settling the case. However, you should be careful, because a lot of car accident victims get a call from the alleged at-fault driver’s insurance company, and the company offers to help out by paying the victim’s immediate medical bills, and this a very small amount of money compared to what this case is actually worth. You should never accept this money without first speaking with a Boston car accident lawyer to learn the real value of your case. The reason is because, in order to get that money, you will have to sign a release of liability, and that will be the only money you see.
If you are injured in an accident in Massachusetts, call Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free and confidential appointment: (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Fraternity settles lawsuit over fatal accident at Yale-Harvard football game, January 8, 2016, The Guardian
More Blog Entries:
Floyd-Tunnell v. Shelter Mut. Ins. Co. Uninsured Motorist Coverage and Stacking, July 3, 2014, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog