A Pierce County mother has won a recent battle against a pair of bars that allegedly served a drunk driver who killed her teenage daughter. After several years of legal fighting, her family has reached an out-of-court settlement that should come as a wake-up call to other places that serve booze. The Seattle DUI Lawyers at SQ Attorneys handle DUI’s across Western Washington.
The accident occurred four and half years ago at a Highway 7 intersection near Spanaway Lake where the fatal crash took place. A man who was too drunk to drive slammed into another car, killing 19-year-old Cassandra Clay.
Clevan Derrer was convicted of DUI in Washington after the October 2006 crash. Cassandra Clay’s boyfriend, 20-year Shane Bender, was also killed.
The intoxicated driver apparently had been at a bar in Spanaway, and one in Tacoma, the night of the crash. After years of legal wrangling, Caroline Clay says – in her mind – those two places finally admitted wrongdoing, by agreeing to an undisclosed financial settlement worked out between attorneys and insurance companies.
She says better training is needed, and that owners, bartenders and wait staff should never serve people who have clearly had too much.
“Over-serving is a big issue,” she says. “There is a law on the books that says you have to cut people off, and it’s not happening.” Some of the settlement money will now be used to turn the family’s den into a memorial that celebrates Cassandra’s life and her love of dolphins. The families of the two victims will share the settlement money.
If you or a loved one is faced with a DUI charge in Western Washington, you deserve the assistance of a reputable and qualified Seattle DUI attorney who will relentlessly defend your case. You deserve a Seattle DUI lawyer who has an intimate understanding of Washington DUI laws and the legal issues that could win your case. You deserve a Seattle DUI defense attorney who is not afraid to stand up against the prosecution and aggressively fight for your rights and interests. SQ Attorneys is the right Western Washington DUI law firm for the job. Call for a free initial consultation – (206) 441.0900 (Seattle); (425) 998-8384 (Eastside) – it will be the best decision you make all day.
