After a DUI-fueled crash claimed the lives of three people returning from a wake, the driver was sent to prison. Now, in two new wrongful death lawsuits filed by family members, the nine different drinking establishments that served a visibly drunk patron, have been named for their failure in following Pennsylvania law, as reported by the Lehigh Valley Live.
In Pennsylvania bartenders must stop serving clearly drunk customers. Per the suit, customer A.R.B., whose blood alcohol level proved to be .23 percent following the accident, continued to be served beers and shots while visibly drunk.
On January 28, 2010 A.R.B. killed three people from Bethlehem Township, Pa. and is currently serving a prison sentence of 7 ½ to 18 years.
C.H., returning from his grandmother’s wake, was driving passengers R.V. and T.A.B., when A.R.B’s 2006 Dodge Dakota struck their vehicle – and all three died at the scene.
Two of the three victims are the subject of lawsuits filed on behalf of their families. Both seek a trial by jury and have asked for over $50,000 in unspecified damages.
The suits name several bars in the Lehigh Valley and Kutztown, Berks County areas. Also named are A.R.B. himself, and the organizers of a bus trip that took A.R.B. to a hockey game in Reading.
A.R.B. admitted to consuming somewhere between 15 to 20 beers on the trip.
A.R.B.’s designated driver, J.S., who left him stranded without another driver once the bus returned to Bethlehem, is also named in the suit.
Attorney Kevin Marciano filed the suit on behalf of R.V.’s family. Marciano said that Spectator Management Group (SMG), the chief target of the suit, was named due to serving the alcohol in the Reading Sovereign Center luxury suite where A.R.B watched the game.
Mariano claims that bartenders – from Reading to Easton, Bethlehem, Northampton and Kutztown – ignored Pennsylvania law that required them to stop serving A.R.B. once he appeared drunk.
The trip organizers, and the bars, should have either prevented A.R.B. from getting behind the wheel, Mariano said, or have contacted police.
Allegedly, Marciano also has photographic proof of A.R.B.’s public drunkenness. Marciano said, “I think it's difficult at this point to quantify fault, but clearly right now, SMG is one of the front runners in their service of alcohol. I think it's almost impossible for someone to be served 15-20 beers without appearing intoxicated.”
A.R.B. signed an affidavit, as part of his plea deal, outlining the events that led up to the crash. He admitted drinking on the way to the game, at the game and after the game.
After he got off the bus, he got into his own car, sped and ran red lights before causing the fatal crash.
Loosing a loved one, at not fault of their own, is grounds for a wrongful death lawsuit. You must contact a personal injury lawyer to file your suit and seek to be repaid for your damages.