Several months ago, we had mentioned on our Fayetteville, North Carolina, personal injury law blog that a mother was in the process of seeking justice for her daughter’s wrongful death. The woman’s daughter died after she was struck by a paver that had been thrown at her while she was at a high school graduation party that had been held on someone else’s property. According to reports, teens had been drinking alcohol at the party.
When we first mentioned this story on our blog in June, the North Carolina mother had already reached settlements with several defendants who had been accused of contributing to her daughter’s wrongful death. According to reports, the mother has now reached confidential settlements with the other defendants. Although reaching these settlements may provide the mother with some closure after losing her daughter in such a tragic way, the settlements will never make up for what happened to her daughter.
Some of our readers might recall that the woman’s daughter had died in August 2010 after she was struck by a paver while she was in a vehicle that had started to drive away from a high school graduation party. The individual who threw the paving stone at the teen has since been convicted of second-degree murder and is currently serving a prison sentence. He was one of the three defendants who had yet to agree to settle the wrongful death lawsuit that had been filed by the victim’s mother.
Because the accident happened on someone else’s property, the victim’s family also sued the mother and son who had hosted the high school graduation party. The victim’s mother said that parents have a responsibility to “provide order and safety at their home” when hosting parties and gatherings. However, safe conditions were not provided at the home where the graduation party had been hosted, and instead the mother and son who had hosted the party allowed other teens to drink alcohol at the party. According to reports, the mother and son who had hosted the party also agreed to finally settle the wrongful death lawsuit that had been filed against them by the victim’s mother.
Now that settlements have been reached with all of the defendants, the victim’s family can begin to move forward with their lives. Unfortunately, they must do so without their daughter.
Source: Winston-Salem Journal, “Lawsuit in Davidson County teen’s death settled,” Michael Hewlett, Jan. 8, 2013