The parents of a teenager driving a pickup truck in an accident where four people died face a third lawsuit, Frenkel & Frenkel says.
The parents of a teenager who was driving a pickup that crashed and killed four people face a third lawsuit, which was filed by the mother of a young woman who died while standing next to her stranded vehicle on the shoulder of the road in Texas. Marla Mitchell’s 24-year old daughter, Breanna, died when a pickup driven by a 16-year old, who had been drinking, struck her and three others who were helping Breanna at the time. Accident Details
Ms. Mitchell said her daughter called her on June 15, 2013, to come pick her up because her car had broken down, and that Breanna said she had pulled the car into a grassy ditch to avoid oncoming traffic. Ms. Mitchell was talking with her daughter via cellphones while en route when Breanna “suddenly stopped talking.” Ms. Mitchell said that she arrived on the scene a few minutes later to find her daughter lying dead on the road, some distance from the crash site. Also killed was Bryan Jennings, a youth minister who had stopped to help Breanna, and Hollie and Shelby Boyles, a mother and daughter who lived nearby and were also trying to help Breanna. Police say the teenager was intoxicated and driving at a high rate of speed when he struck those standing by Breanna’s car. Mr. Jennings’ vehicle also was struck, as was a fourth oncoming vehicle. Two children in Mr. Jennings vehicle were injured, as were several of the teens in the pickup. Lawsuit Details According to an attorney representing Ms. Mitchell, the 16-year old driver was “inexperienced, incompetent and reckless,” and there are indications he was using his cellphone at the time of the crash. In addition, he was driving with a restricted license. The boy’s parents, Fred and Tanya Couch, said they allowed their son to drive the pickup belonging to their company, Cleburne Metal Works. The company is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Marla Mitchell. Shaunna Jennings, the widow of Bryan Jennings, has also filed a suit against Couch family, as has the parents of Sergio Molina, a teenage passenger in the pickup who was severely injured. When an auto accident causes injury or death due to the reckless actions of another, a wrongful death claim may be in order. Contact Dallas-Fort Worth lawyers at Frenkel & Frenkel to schedule a free initial consultation regarding an auto accident where injuries may have been caused or worsened by the reckless actions of another.
