• 10
  • February
    2012

Families of two people who were killed by a drunk driver have filed lawsuits against not only the driver, but also several establishments in Lehigh Valley, Berks and Kutztown counties in Pennsylvania, where the convicted drunk driver had supposedly been consuming alcohol. An organizer of a bus trip to a hockey game where the driver had between 15 to 20 beers is also named in the wrongful death lawsuit.

Looking back at the tragic accident, two women and a designated driver were on their way back from a wake, when the drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into the vehicle the three were in. All three died.

At the time of the crash, the driver who caused the fatal accident had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.23 percent. He had supposedly been out drinking for hours on end, and was at several establishments continuing to be served beers and shots even though it was quite clear that he was intoxicated. In fact, there is even a photo showing that he had a hard time standing up before getting in a car to drive home.

A designated driver, who left the drunk driver without finding him a ride home after the hockey game, is also named in the lawsuit.

According to the driver -- who has already been sentenced to serve up to eight years in prison for the crash -- he drank on the bus on his way to Reading, Pennsylvania, where he watched the hockey game. He also drank during the game, and afterwards at several bars. However, he admittedly said he was too drunk to even remember parts of the night.

Aside from those who either served the man alcohol, or allowed him to drive, the lawsuit is also against the owners of a business that is located at the intersection where the two vehicles collided. The claim is that the owners did not fix unsafe conditions, nor warn the general public, about the dangers associated with that intersection.

Source: Lehighvalleylive.com, "Families of Anthony Bruno victims file wrongful death suit," Sara K. Satullo, Jan. 31, 2012