In what is likely to be the first of many lawsuits, Alexandra Curtis, an Evanston woman, is suing the John Davis Trucking Company for injuries she received in the Nevada train accident that killed at least six people.
According to the Associated Press, Curtis, 38, was an Amtrak attendant on the train bound from Chicago to California. As the train raced across the Nevada desert, John Davis Trucking driver Lawrence Valli allegedly ran a railroad crossing gate and smashed his tractor trailer into the train.
Valli was killed in the accident along with five people aboard the Amtrak train. Curtis suffered an injured back and elbow, and she says that she suffers post-traumatic stress disorder, reports the AP.
Curtis is now suing John Davis Trucking for her injuries holding the company responsible for Valli's bad driving.
In her lawsuit, Curtis claims that John Davis Trucking negligently hired Valli. While Valli had only worked for six months with John Davis Trucking, he had previously received three speeding tickets over the last four years and was arrested in Nevada for skipping a court date over an expired vehicle registration.
For the most part, companies like John Davis Trucking can hire whoever they want for a position. But for certain jobs that can impact the public safety, the company may owe a duty to exercise reasonable care in hiring.
As Lawrence Valli was hired to drive a multi-ton tractor-trailer, Alexandra Curtis is basically claiming that John Davis Trucking was negligent in hiring a man with a history of speeding tickets.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney (FindLaw)
- Evanston woman sues in Amtrak train wreck in Nevada (Chicago Sun-Times)
- May an employer run a background check on an applicant? (FindLaw)
- Bronx Bus Accident Claims 15 NYC Lives, Negligent Hiring Suspected (FindLaw KnowledgeBase)
- Negligent Hiring and Training Suits (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
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