South Carolina Lawyer Blog
Washington State’s Bellingham Herald reports Whatcom County and the state must pay $5.5 million because their negligence allowed a drunk driver to injure a Washington woman in January 2007.
The jury found the county and the State Patrol were negligent in not preventing the other woman from driving drunk before the crash.
The driver was found passed out behind the wheel of her car hours before she caused the car crash. She was cited for a DUI, driven home, given her keys, and told not to drive before she sobered up. She called a cab to go back to her car, started driving, and collided with the plaintiff.
The woman was being supervised by the county because of a previous DUI and was supposed to have an ignition interlock device installed in her car. The device was never installed and the jury found the county negligent for failing to check to make sure the device had been installed.
The plaintiff spent 45 days in the hospital and has undergone numerous surgeries because of her injuries.
$5.5 Million Car Crash Verdict