According to WTVF-TV, a family has filed a lawsuit against the city of Fayetteville after a member was killed in a crash involving a stolen police cruiser on August 31.
A Lincoln County family has filed a $7.4 million lawsuit against the Fayetteville Police Department, City of Fayetteville and an unnamed officer, following the death of 55-year-old Henry Holt, Sr.
According to WTVF, a police officer put 49-year-old Misty Shelton in the backseat of his patrol car when she was allegedly intoxicated and under suspicion for theft. Shelton allegedly managed to get from the backseat of the car to the driver’s seat, eventually driving away. While she was driving the cruiser, Shelton hit an SUV with five people inside, killing Holt. Monica Gooding, Holt’s daughter, and three children who were inside the vehicle also sustained injuries.
Gooding said the family is struggling to come to grips with the tragedy. “It’s been miserable for my whole family. Our daddy’s gone,” Gooding told WTVF. There were an average of 9,480 drunken driving accidents each year in Tennessee from 2003 through 2007. Since 2008, there have been 1,540 DUI fatalities on Tennessee roadways.
If you or someone close to you has suffered a serious injury or you have had a loved one killed by a drunk driver, let us help you. Contact our office now at (615) 866-3938 for a free evaluation of your case.
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