PURCELL, Okla. (Dec. 26) - Toby Keith , his mother and his siblings have been awarded $2.8 million in damages in the 2001 collision that killed the country music star's father.
Toby Keith and his family won damages from charter bus owners and an insurance company after a jury found that the owners had been advised of a brake problem with a bus before it was involved in an accident that killed Keith's father.
A jury returned the verdict against Elias Rodriguez and Pedro Rodriguez, operators of Rodriguez Transportes of Tulsa, and the Republic Western Insurance Co.
According to evidence presented at trial, a charter bus owned by the Rodriguezes was "in urgent need" of brake repairs before H.K. Covel was killed in the March 2001 accident on Interstate 35, said attorney Greg Dixon, who represented Keith's family. The Rodriguezes had been advised of the brake problem before Covel's truck crossed the center median and struck the bus, he said.
The family initially suspected Covel suffered a medical condition that caused the truck to veer out of control. It later learned another vehicle had bumped the truck and filed a wrongful death lawsuit to clear Covel's name, Dixon said.
The verdict was returned last week. "The jury found no fault on the part of Mr. Covel in the wreck that claimed his life," Dixon said.
...If true, I say that neither the dad or bus company is at fault... ..it was the mystery murder vehicle. 100%. If the bus had brand new brake, would he still be alive today? I-35 I believe in OK is 65mph... ...I recall my husband driving 80 and getting passed... ...sadly I witness the aftermath of something very similar, a vehicle swerved across the median and into oncoming traffic... ...the 18 wheeler drove right over the vehicle... ...this was all before rescue crews came, so what I saw still haunts me to this day... ...and I know for a fact that in my CAR if someone did cross the median like that headed for me... ...I would have still hit him... ...of course, I probably would have died too.
Think... ...someone is headed for you at 70mph... ...you are driving 70mph... ...you notice/start breaking when hes 100-200 ft away... ...are you seriously going to be able to avoid that? Change lanes that quickly and you may end up hitting another vehicle, or you were wrong in judging, where he was headed and still hits you.
I dunno... ...I think brakes working or not, his father would still be dead (not seriously injured) But even if he did survive the crash, wouldn't they still sue for medical? 2.8 million dollars wont bring your father back... ..and whats worse is that money is nothing to him... ...Thats probably a years income to him. That money wont make his family happy... ...does bankrupting and shutting down a company make your happy?
...my aunt in law was rear ended by a coca cola trucker... ...tire marks proved that he didn't even break until AFTER he hit her. He fell asleep at the wheel... ...and apparently been involved in several previous wrecks that happened the exact same way.
I saw the pic... ...there was no backseat. If her son had been in the car, he would have died... ...Im surprised she lived... ...and recovered...
...she had to miss work...and her husband was laid off due to his insurance claims. Being Coca Cola, they offered a very small settlement, which of course wouldnt pay for much of the medical bills... ...ignore pain and suffering... ...the only way to get anything would be to go to court... ..but since Coke is a huge international corperation and an american icon (not a local owned transport service), they just keep pushing the court back back and back forcing people like her to settle just so they'll have something... ...cuz clearly they need the money (unlike Toby Keith)
Last I heard the driver still works for coke... ...I dont know if they settled for the low amount or not, but can imagine an unemployed husband, a wife out of work for months, a totaled car, insurance deductibles, things insurance wouldn't pay for, etc... Coke knew... ...and I doubt that if they did wait for the court date that they would get a 6 digit some, let alone 2.8 million!!!
Like they need 2.8million.