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Bartender in court for role in drunk driving wrongful death

On Nov. 10, a bartender implicated in providing alcohol to a drunk driver made an appearance in Ohio’s Hamilton County Municipal Court. Court documents reveal that the bartender filed a written not guilty plea back on Aug. 4 in response to charges that she over-served a customer at her place of employment prior to a fatal car accident.

The Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Investigative Unit initially filed charges against the woman back on July 24. The investigators allege that the bartender committed a liquor sale to an intoxicated person when she reportedly sold several alcoholic beverages to the 52-year-old fatal drunk driving defendant. The bartender’s pre-trial hearing was postponed and reset for Dec. 17.

According to the complaint against the bartender filed by the state of Ohio, the bartender “knowingly” furnished beer or intoxicating liquor to the individual responsible for killing a 51-year-old schoolteacher back on Feb. 21. That complaint states that the bartender served the fatal DUI defendant four beers and three 12-ounce glasses of whiskey & coke before he left the bar and killed another man with his car.

The victim’s family has since filed a civil lawsuit against the owners of the bar. They are seeking compensation from the defendant for the wrongful death and personal injury to the deceased victim. Those family members are also asking for punitive damages in their lawsuit. That case is currently set for a continuance on Jan. 8 at the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

Ohio motorists have a right to be safe from death and injury caused by drunk drivers. If you have lost a family member as a result of a preventable car accident, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your losses. If a drunk driver killed your family member in a car, truck or bicycle accident, they may potentially incur financial liability due to their negligent and wrongful acts.

Source: Cincinnati.com, “Bartender faces over-serving charge in fatal DUI” Henry Molski, Nov. 10, 2014