Back on December 1, 2016, a young mother was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer when she pulled off to the right shoulder on Interstate 95 in Old Lyme to check on her baby in the back seat of her car. Now, her family decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven and is seeking $30 million.
Back on December 1, 2016, a young mother was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer when she pulled off to the right shoulder on Interstate 95 in Old Lyme to check on her baby in the back seat of her car. Now, her family decided to file a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Haven and is seeking $30 million. The deceased mother, Ashley Ferguson Jones, was only 31-years-old at the time of the accident and “was the mother of two young children.” Her children, along with her husband, Marshall Jones, are named as the plaintiffs in the complaint.
The family’s suit names the truck driver, Nicolae Marcu of Bedford, New Hampshire as one of the defendants. Other defendants include the trucking company, MGR Freight System Inc., and a variety of limited liability corporation names, such as “MGR MGR Express, MGR Lease, MGR Express, MGR Auto Lease, MGR Truck Rental, MGR Truck Sale, MGR Truck Repair, MGR Logistics, MGR 016, MGR 017 and Plainfield OI4.”
According to the lawsuit, Marcu drove for MGR companies. The day of the fatal accident, he “acted recklessly and negligently by failing to move into the left lane while passing a vehicle parked in the breakdown lane.” The suit also accuses him of “failing to keep a safe distance from other vehicles, speeding, driving while fatigued, sending or receiving text messages while driving and operating a vehicle with unsafe tires and brakes.” In addition to this latest suit, Marcu is also facing “criminal charges of negligent homicide and failure to drive in the proper lane.”
People who witnessed the accident told police that “Jones had pulled her Kia Optima fully into the breakdown lane of I-95 south between Exits 70 and 71 to check on her daughter, who was coughing and may have been choking while eating in the back seat.” At the time of the collision, Jones was “leaning into the back seat with the rear driver’s side door open.” The impact from the collision sent her body “70 feet into the air and ripped one of her legs from her body.” The accident was so horrific that she was pronounced dead at the scene.
After striking Jones, witnesses and police claim Marcu continued driving “almost 245 feet beyond the point of impact, traveling through a guardrail and into trees.” Though he was uninjured, his tractor-trailer “sustained heavy damage along the way.”
Fortunately, the child and a passenger riding with Jones were uninjured.
The Reardon Law Firm, which previously brought a suit against Marcu and the trucking company, said the family of Ashley Ferguson Jones is struggling to move past the tragic incident. Attorney Kelly Reardon said, “They are heavily involved in the church, which has been a great solace to them.” She added, “She was a wonderful young woman with a promising future. She was very involved with the church and volunteering and attending services.”
Sources:
Family of mother killed in Old Lyme accident seeks $30M in wrongful death lawsuit
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Seeks $30 Million for Mother Killed While Checking on Baby
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