A widow has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, naming herself and several family members as plaintiffs, due to a train that crashed into a float that she and her husband rode on during a parade honoring injured veterans, which left her husband dead, as reported by My San Antonio.
Marine Chief Warrant Officer G.S., Jr., 37, died along with three other float passengers in the town of Midland during the wreck.
The suit is filed against Union Pacific Railroad Inc. as well as the company that owned the float, Smith Industries Inc. The two defendants are named for negligence that caused the death of G.S. Jr.
This is the second lawsuit to be filed in regards to the train wreck.
C.S., G.S.'s widow, filed the suit in Dallas County on December 25. The plaintiffs are C.S., the couple's two children and G.S.'s parents. C.S. lives with her children in Hubert, N.C., and G.S.'s parents reside in Newport, Penn. Dallas attorney Charla G. Aldous is representing the plaintiffs.
The lawsuit states that G.S. Jr., injured in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device, was one of approximately two dozen injured veterans and their wives that were in Midland to participate in the "Hunt for Heroes" event.
The annual event involves a parade with floats and traditional West Texas hunts. Show of Support, a non-profit organization in Midland, hosts the event.
C.S. and G.S. were on the float with 11 other couples on November 15. The float, a flatbed trailer constructed by Smith Industries Inc., was struck by an eastbound freight train that was traveling at a speed of 62 mph.
The lawsuit states, "(G.S.) ensured that (C.S.) got out of the way and then apparently remained on the trailer bed to assist others. The aftermath was like a war zone."
Though C.S. jumped off of the float, and was later hospitalized for her injuries, G.S., along with three other war veterans, were killed. The deceased include Army Sgt. J.M., 34; Army Sgt.W.L., 43; and Army Sgt. Maj. L.B., 47.
Fifteen other people on the float were injured.
According to the suit, "From where (C.S.) laid, following the wreck, she could see one veteran whose body had been cut in half."
The suit further states that G.S., a war veteran that had survived tours in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan, ultimately lost his life due to the negligence of the railroad company and the float manufacturer.
The suit concludes, "Tragically, it was a grossly unsafe railroad crossing that took this hero's life and robbed the (S.) family of the husband and the father they thought was now safe."
Imagine your loved one escaping death several times in a war zone, only to perish due to the negligence of another party once presumably safe on U.S. soil. If you have lost a loved one, in any type of wrongful death scenario, contact a personal injury lawyer to file your lawsuit and sue for your damages.