Family members of a man killed in a deadly March bus crash have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the 20-year-old driver of the truck that caused the wreck and his father.
Jack Young drove his father's pickup truck into a bus carrying a church group just outside Garner State Park on March 29, killing 13 of the 14 passengers inside. According to witnesses, Young had been swerving for at least 30 minutes down U.S. 83 before colliding with the small bus — and he'd admitted he'd been texting at the time of the accident. Further investigation found Young had consumed a cocktail of antidepressants and sleeping pills before driving that morning. Law enforcement also found marijuana in his truck.
In the lawsuit filed Monday, Ross Allen, son of 81-year-old crash victim Howard Allen, asked for $1 million in damages from Young and his father, Joseph, for negligence and gross negligence. In the document, Ross also asks Texas lawmakers to pass the "no-texting-while-driving legislation currently being considered and that the Governor promptly sign the bill once it passes.”
The suit claims that Young’s father is guilty of negligence for allowing his son to drive his truck knowing about “his son’s prescription drug and marijuana use,” and that “he was also aware of his propensity to text while driving.”
Allen might get his wish from Texas legislators. Last month, the House Bill 62, or the bill banning texting while driving, passed in the House and is currently awaiting a vote in the Senate.
According to the Uvalde County District Court, there have been no other lawsuits filed by the other victims’ families.
