Wrongful Death Lawsuit vs Secretary of State Clinton
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed last week in Texas state court against Hillary Rodham Clinton for a 2008 accident involving her motorcade in Dallas while a presidential candidate.
The family of the motorcycle driver is now suing Secretary of State Clinton, alleging that the motorcycle driver was not properly trained when he took to the road in her motorcade during her 2008 campaign. As reported by the Dallas Morning News, Senior Cpl. Victor Lozada-Tirado was killed two years ago, as he came around a curve while performing a "leapfrog" maneuver to pass the motorcade. He lost control of his bike and slammed head-on into a concrete outcropping. His helmet was knocked off during the crash. Lozada and several other motorcycle officers were controlling traffic at intersections while Clinton's motorcade drove through the streets of Dallas during her campaign.
Lozada-Tirado's family is also suing the helmet maker, Super Seer for the fact that the helmet came off on impact. In addition, Lozada-Tirado's family alleges that the city of Dallas failed to maintain the roads properly, which subsequently led to the motorcycle accident.
In addition to claims in the wrongful death lawsuit that Lozada-Tirado was not properly trained, the family also alleges that the supervisors failed to ensure that the officers involved had ridden the route before, that the 911 system lagged in responding and that Clinton's campaign failed to give adequate notice to the motorcycle unit that it needed motorcade assistance. As a result of the latter allegation, the suit further alleges that the motorcycle unit was left without enough time to prepare for the dangerous task of guarding Secretary of State Clinton's motorcade.
The family's Dallas personal injury attorney claims that there had been an adverse performance report for Lozada-Tirado, yet he was still placed on duty that day. Although the report has been deemed a joke by it's authors, claiming that Lozada-Tirado actually had good record, the Dallas personal injury attorney claims that there is a "cover-up" taking place, at the administrative level.
Related Resources:
- Family of motorcycle officer sues Secretary of State Clinton, city of Dallas (Dallas News)
- Texas: Family Sues Clinton for Motorcade Fatality (NYTimes)
- Wrongful Death Overview (provided by Cogan & McNabola, P.C.)
- Monetary Damages in Wrongful Death Cases (provided by Colley Shroyer & Abraham)