Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Ex Astronaut

On June 6th, there was a DUI crash that killed 11 year of Niomi James and 13 year old Jayla Parler and injured two others in Alabama. James Halsell, former NASA space shuttle commander and pilot, has been charged with reckless murder and the families of the children who were killed have filed wrongful death lawsuits in Tuscaloosa County and federal court.

One of the injured passengers, Pernell James, told authorities that he was driving on US 82 when a car driving at a high speed stuck his car from the rear and sent it tumbling across the road. The girls were ejected from the vehicle. Halsell said that he thought he was on Interstate 20/59, and not US 82 during the crash. The officer who arrived on scene said that Halsell appeared very intoxicated and tried to take a vehicle of someone who stopped to offer help. Halsell told the officers that he had had three glasses of wine and stayed at a hotel in Tuscaloosa. They found an empty wine bottle and an empty package of sleeping pills. Halsell is currently free on a $150,000 bond.

 The first lawsuit against Halsell accuses him of wrongful death, negligence, and seek compensation from the company Halsell rented the car from and its insurance provider. The second lawsuit accuses Halsell of reckless and negligent conduct, and damages from the parties that sold him the medication and alcohol. Both lawsuits are requesting jury trials.
Comments from Allen:  The plaintiffs in this case desire that the criminal DUI cases proceed first.  When the state establishes that Halsell was driving under the influence of wine and pills, that fact will be used in the civil actions against him.  The plaintiffs will then try to get Halsell to admit he caused the crash.  After this, the Plaintiffs' lawyers will try to settle the case for policy limits of the insurance providers.

Why, you ask, would anyone take sleeping pills and drink a bottle of wine?  Probably either to get to sleep quickly or to kill themselves.  The combination can be fatal; even if they do make you sleepy.  Sleeping pills alone can make you lose awareness of what you are doing, and people have been known to do very strange things when they have taken sleeping pills, and such pills and alcohol have a magnified effect on the person taking them.

Normally a story like this ends with the notation that the driver was lucky he did not kill someone.  Unfortunately, this story ended with the worst case scenario:  two young people actually did die.  No lawsuit will make the families whole.  No amount of insurance will erase from Mr. Halsell's mind that he is responsible for killing two children.  In this kind of litigation, there are no winners.

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Allen Browning is an attorney in Idaho Falls, Idaho who handles personal injury and criminal defense. He has over 30 years of experience and handled thousands of cases. Allen handles cases from all over Idaho. Call (208) 542-2700 to set up a free consultation if you are facing legal trouble or you have been involved in an accident.

Also, check out browninglaw.net for more information about Allen and Browning Law.

Allen Browning can help with all personal injury claims including motor vehicle accidents,truck accidents, auto accidents, serious and disabling accidents, and wrongful death claims.

Allen Browning is an Idaho Falls attorney who can also help with drunk driving (DUI), traffic violations, Felony, Misdemeanor, Domestic Violence, Drug Crimes, Theft, Juvenile Crimes, battery and assault charges, Violent Crimes, and Probation/Parole Violations. He is one of the most experienced and successful criminal defense attorneys in Idaho.


Allen is able to provide his services if the incident occurs in the following Idaho Areas: American Falls, Arco, Blackfoot, Boise, Burley, Driggs, Idaho Falls, Malad City, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby, Salmon, St. Anthony, Twin Falls, Bannock County, Bingham County, Bonneville County, Butte County, Cassia County, Clark County, Fremont County, Jefferson County, Lemhi County, Madison County, Oneida County, Power County, Teton County, and Twin Falls County.    

Sources for more information:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/wrongful-death-lawsuits-filed-astronaut-crash-40196262

 http://abc13.com/news/wrongful-death-lawsuits-filed-against-ex-astronaut-in-crash/1405382/

 http://www.thenewsstar.com/story/news/2016/06/28/wrongful-death-lawsuits-filed-against-ex-astronaut-crash/86489436/

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