In recent news, the family that filed a wrongful death lawsuit after they lost their brothers-in-law in a fiery collision received a $2 million settlement.

The Case: Ashley Reed et al. v. James W. Bilton et al.

The Court: Superior Court of New Jersey, Mercer County

The Case No.: MER-L-1631-19

The Incident: Ashley Reed et al. v. James W. Bilton

On March 26, 2018, Arthur "Artie" Reed and Mark Leary were on an afternoon drive in Artie's car down Route 29 in Hopewell Township in New Jersey's Mercer County. The two brothers-in-law planned to pick up David, Mark's adopted son, from school. At around 12:54 pm, a truck driver lost control of his 2007 Mack dump truck northbound on Route 29 and collided head-on with Artie's vehicle as Artie and Mark traveled southbound. The collision left Artie's vehicle pinned under the dump truck, and both vehicles burst into flames with Artie and Mark trapped in the car, and neither survived the flames. Artie left behind his girlfriend of 13 years and two adult children. Mark, a firefighter and Marine, left behind his wife of 26 years and five children.

The Defendants: Ashley Reed et al. v. James W. Bilton

Six years later, the families of Artie and Mark received some closure. The defendant in the case, DAT and the State of New Jersey, paid a $1,950,000 settlement resolving the wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estates of the two brothers-in-law who were killed during a fiery collision in March 2018. The plaintiffs' counsel argued the horrific tragedy was caused by negligence on the part of the dump truck driver, the dump truck's owner, and the State of New Jersey (specifically citing the negligent design of that specific stretch of Route 29). The stretch of Route 29 where the fiery incident occurred included a shoulder, a clear zone, and a steep drop-off from the roadway to grass that fell below state and federal standards. The two men would still be alive if the roadway complied with the standards or the truck driver retained control of his vehicle.

The Case: Ashley Reed et al. v. James W. Bilton

A policy limits offer paid by DAT LLC's insurance company paid one million dollars of the settlement. (DAT LLC was forced to close following the fatal crash). The remaining $950,000 of the settlement was paid by the state. The settlement only came after a long, aggressively litigated case. The successful resolution of the wrongful death lawsuit means the families know that DAT LLC and the State of New Jersey were held accountable for their loss.

If you have questions about filing a California wrongful death suit, reach out to Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw L.L.P. Experienced wrongful death attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.