A graduate from the Citadel in South Carolina was killed earlier this year by an alleged drunk driver as he walked along I-26, and his father has now filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, a catering company and bar, and also a security company.
The father filed a 33-page wrongful death lawsuit last month in Charleston County, SC Circuit Court. His son died earlier this fall after he was hit by a car driven by Allen L. Gilliam, 34, from North Charleston.
Gilliam was charged with felony driving under the influence and is awaiting trial. Gilliam paid the family $85,000 in a civil petition last summer but is nevertheless named in the current lawsuit.
The driver went to a five year anniversary party in early November in the French Quarter of Charleston and was served alcohol by a catering company and bar called Icebox Bar, Inc. He then left the party around 11 pm and he went to a parking garage, where he was allegedly too intoxicated to get his car out of the garage. A security guard employed by Universal Protection Service LLC opened the gate for him to exit the garage. That company has been named in the lawsuit.
The former Citadel graduate was walking on the I-26 shoulder when Gilliam swerved off the road and slammed into him at high speed. This caused him to be thrown over the overpass.
In addition to suing the driver for damages, the suit alleges that Icebox was negligent in serving Gilliam, and also that Universal Protection was negligent in failing to properly train its security officer regarding intoxicated drivers.
Our entire team of Virginia drunk driving attorneys sends out deepest sympathies to the family of this young man. We are proud to aggressively sue convicted drunk drivers in civil court. The surviving families of victims killed by careless and foolish drunk drivers can rely on our Virginia and North Carolina legal team to obtain financial justice for them.
If your loved one died in an accident with a drunk driver, you should be certain to work with an experienced drunk driving personal injury lawyer. Be sure that your attorney knows how to identify every dime of insurance money to get you maximum compensation. Your attorney also should seek recovery for lost wages, medical bills, permanent injuries, pain, suffering and scars. Your attorney also should consider bringing a claim for punitive damages, if the convicted drunk driver is found to have acted in a grossly negligent fashion.