A recent wrongful death lawsuit filed in Bridgeport Superior Court alleges that the founder of Stew Leonard’s grocery caused the death of a man when he operated his powerboat recklessly.
According to news reports, the man was thrown around the boat and suffered both head injuries and spinal cord injuries before falling overboard. His wife is seeking millions of dollars for wrongful death, medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of income, loss of consortium and other damages she and her husband suffered after the boating accident.
It is unknown who was driving the boat at the time of the accident, but it appears the boat was travelling very quickly in treacherous conditions. The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Leonard made a reckless decision to take the trip and that the boat was going up to 90 miles per hour in an area where warnings had been issued. According to Mr. Leonard, a 12-15 foot high wave appeared “out of nowhere,” causing the boat accident.
The plaintiff filed the boat accident lawsuit against Stewart Leonard Sr., his son and the boat company. The facts of the case will determine who is responsible for what portions of the plaintiff’s injuries.
This lawsuit is a good example of personal injury cases that involve multiple at-fault parties and ambiguous facts. These cases often require extensive research (called the “evidence” phase of a lawsuit), witness and expert testimony, and talented advocacy from an experienced accident lawyer.
Wrongful death cases are also different from other personal injury lawsuits because they involve additional damages, such as “loss of consortium” (in other words, the loss of the love that a husband gave his wife). All of the potential damages in wrongful death cases should come into play in this Connecticut boat accident case.
Source: CBS New York, “Stew Leonard, Son Sued in Deadly Boating Accident,” Mar. 8, 2012.