The father of Josh Hancock filed suit Thursday against a restaurant, towing company and stalled car driver, claiming a restaurant provided drinks to the St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher even though he was intoxicated prior to the crash that killed him.
Mike Shannon's Restaurant, owned by the longtime Cardinals broadcaster who starred on three World Series teams in the 1960s, is a defendant in the case along with Shannon's daughter, the restaurant manager. Other defendants include Eddie's Towing, the company whose flatbed tow truck was struck by Hancock's sport utility vehicle; tow truck driver Jacob Edward Hargrove; and Justin Tolar, the driver whose stalled car on Interstate 64 was being assisted by Hargrove.
Authorities said the 29-year pitcher had a blood content of nearly twice the legal limit for alcohol in his system when he crashed into the back of the tow truck. He was also speeding, using a cell phone and wasn't wearing a seat belt. Marijuana was found in the SUV.
Hancock went to Shannon's after the Cardinals played a day game against the Chicago Cubs on April 28. The lawsuit claimed that Hancock was a regular at the restaurant bar and was there for more than 31/2 hours. "It's understood that for the entire 3 1/2 hours that Josh Hancock was there that he was handed drinks," a lawyer for Dean Hancock said. "It's our understanding that from the moment Josh Hancock entered Mike Shannon's that night that he was never without a drink."
The lawsuit claimed Tolar was negligent in allowing his Geo Prism to reach the point where it stalled on the highway, and for failing to move it out of the way of oncoming traffic. A police report said the Prism became stalled when it spun out after being cut off by another vehicle. Police said Hargrove (tow truck driver) noticed the stalled vehicle and stopped to help. The report said he told officers he was there five to seven minutes before his truck was hit by Hancock's SUV. But Kantack said the tow truck may have been there up to 15 minutes, yet failed to get the stalled vehicle out of the way. "Were the police contacted?" Kantack asked. "Why weren't flares put out? Why was the tow truck there for an exorbitant amount of time?"
Dean Hancock said in a statement that the "facts and circumstances" of Josh's death "have caused great pain to all of Josh's family." As administrator of his son's estate, Dean Hancock said he has an obligation to represent the family on all issues, "including any legal actions necessary against those who contributed to the untimely and unnecessary death."
*** So, let me get this straight...Josh Hancock was drunk, driving his car, talking on his cell phone, speeding, possibly smokin' up, plowed into a tow truck and now his father is suing everyone else! Let's talk briefly about taking responsibility for your actions. Josh paid the consequences with his life, but really it should be his father who dies a very miserable death! I cannot believe this bullshit! I cannot believe that there are lawyers who would take this case...it's such a crock of shit. Your son was a drunk that took his own life by driving and now you are blaming everyone else for his mistakes! If I was one of the people named in this lawsuit I would probably end up serving time for beating Josh's dad to a bloody pulp!
5 comments:
I feel for the family but that is just insane that you can sue everyone else.
How do poeple get to believe that they don't have to take responsibility, didn't their parents or teachers or someone force that issue???
Sarah:
My sympathy goes into remission when the family acts like a-holes!
They were really ragging about this one on talk radio today.
I can MAYBE see the restaurant, but you get into an argument over personal responsibility.
As far as the stalled car---WTF?
A car stalls where it stalls. What are you supposed to do?
If your car stalls in rush hour traffic in Atlanta, you get honked at, road raged at, and called everything but a white boy. What are you supposed to do?
Like you WANTED your car to stall...
I was thinking much the same thing -- the guy is drunk, talking on the phone, speeding and not wearing his seatbelt. Yet it is all the fault of the tow truck driver he hit, because the guy was trying to help someone out? If he hadn't been drunk and speeding, and possibly paying attention, he might have avoided the accident. It's sad to see it, but far too many people, when their loved one dies, cannot
comprehend that it might have been their loved one's fault. It "must be" someone else's fault -- and that someone else must be made to pay.
Zen and Fever:
This is one of the most ridiculous things I have heard in a long time! I still can't get over it...how stupid!
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