Former Tennessee Truck Driver Loses Appeal in Fatal Maine Drunk Driving Case – Civil Options of Surviving Family Members of Fatal Drunk Driving Truck Accident Victims under Tennessee Personal Injury Wrongful Death Laws Explained
A former truck driver from Tennessee lost his appeal this April after being found guilty of multiple criminal charges stemming from a fatal drunk driving truck accident that occurred in the State of Maine in 2018. According to local news reports, WGME 13, Tennessee truck driver Randall Weddle was found guilty of 15 criminal counts against him relating to a fatal drunk driving accident that he caused in 2016. The criminal conviction against Mr. Weddle includes manslaughter and aggravated operating under the influence, among other criminal counts.
The initial fatal drunk driving truck accident occurred on March 18, 2016 near Washington, Maine on Maine’s Route 17. Mr. Weddle was driving a semi-truck tractor-trailer at the time of the accident. Mr. Weddle is said to have been drunk, high on pain medication, and was speeding prior to the fatal truck accident. Mr. Weddle, in his intoxicated state, crashed the semi-truck tractor-trailer into two cars on Route 17, catapulting one of the cars into a field, where it exploded in a fiery blaze. The victims of the fatal drunk driving truck accident, 45-year-old Christina Torres-York of Warren, Maine, and 74-year-old Paul Fowles of Owls Head, were killed in the fatal drunk driving truck accident.
Randall Weddle was, ultimately, sentenced to 30 years in prison, with all but 25 years suspended and followed by four years of probation. According to prosecutors in Weddle’s criminal trial, he had dozens of prior motor vehicle violations on his record. Mr. Weddle had appealed his convictions on the basis that “the sentence was disproportionate to sentences imposed in similar cases”, but Maine’s highest court disagreed.
Rights and Options of Surviving Family Members of Those Killed in Fatal Truck Accidents under Tennessee Personal Injury Wrongful Death Laws
In Tennessee, when a person is killed by a drunk or negligent driver in a truck accident, certain surviving members of their family may have rights to compensation against the negligent or drunk truck driver and/or the trucking company that employed them. Under Tennessee personal injury wrongful death laws, certain close family members of victims of fatal truck accidents may be entitled to money compensation for their terrible loss, even if the truck driver that caused the accident is charged under Tennessee criminal laws. It is important to know that there is a limited time to file a case in Tennessee under Tennessee personal injury wrongful death laws, so it is best to speak with an experienced Tennessee personal injury truck accidents lawyer as soon as possible after a serious and fatal truck accident occurs.
The experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Fox Farley Willis & Burnette, LLC are here to help Tennessee families get justice for their loved ones killed in drunk driving car accidents. Contact the experienced Tennessee personal injury lawyers at Fox Farley Willis & Burnette, LLC today and speak to a lawyer about your case now.
Source:
wgme.com/news/local/former-truck-driver-loses-appeal-for-fatal-drunk-driving-crash-in-maine-tractor-trailer-knox-county-randall-weddle-washington-paul-fowles-christina-torres
