Case 1
Rhonda was the single mother of a two year old toddler. She was killed in a car wreck on I-79 while returning home from work. A whole truck tire was obstructing the passing lane near the Marion County-Monongalia County line. Rhonda’s car struck the tire, causing her vehicle to flip and Rhonda died at the scene. Efforts to trace the owner of the tire were unsuccessful. However, a Freedom of Information Act Request with the West Virginia State Police determined that as much as one hour prior to the fatal wreck several motorists had called the West Virginia State Police about the tire. The State Police dispatcher had, in turn, called a nearby Department of Highway station. The person who took that call, though, dropped the ball so that no effort to retrieve the tire was even made. Rhonda’s estate received a 1 million dollar policy limits settlement from the State of West Virginia.