City Of Chesapeake, Virginia (VA) Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit Arising From Car Crash

An animal control vehicle operated by an employee of the City of Chesapeake, Virginia (VA) was at-fault in causing a death.  The attorney for the 65-year-old Norfolk man who was killed filed his lawsuit in Chesapeake related to the collision which occurred at the intersection of North Battlefield Boulevard and Oak Grove Road in Chesapeake.  Witnesses had indicated that the city employee had driven his truck through an intersection on a yellow light at a high rate of speed.  In Virginia, the law holds an employer responsible for the acts of its employee if they are acting within the scope of their duties for the employer.  The man who was killed was a passenger in the vehicle which was struck by the Chesapeake animal control truck.  According to a newspaper item in our local Virginian Pilot, the amount of the settlement was $275,000.00 which will go to the estate of the man who died.  Wrongful death settlements in Virginia are required to go through court approval for a distribution to the statutory beneficiaries who are the relatives of the decedent like the widow, children, and potentially parents depending upon the circumstances.