Greene County Man Allegedly Wrecks Other Driver Intentionally
Twenty-one year-old Jeffrey Brian-Edward Wills of Mosheim, Tennessee is facing several charges after authorities say he intentionally ran the SUV of nineteen year-old Jackie Ricker of Rheatown off the road, causing Ms. Ricker to be killed in the wreck. Mr. Wills was reportedly driving at a high rate of speed when he intentionally hit the Ford Explorer driven by Ms. Ricker, causing her car to drive into an embankment. Ms. Ricker was killed in the crash and two of her passengers, 31-year-old Sammy Shanks of Greeneville and 29-year-old Nancy Wills of Rheatown were injured and taken to Johnson City Medical Center. The criminal ramifications of this situation are discussed here.
Tragedies such as this one seem all the more troubling due to the fact that they are the result of intentional or malicious use of a vehicle. Automobiles are dangerous instrumentalities and when they are used as weapons the results are often fatal as they were here. Tennessee recognizes the reprehensibility of this kind of conduct and allows the imposition of punitive damages in such cases. Punitive damages are designed primarily to punish the offending party and deter other parties from similar conduct. They are appropriate in Tennessee when the conduct of the offender is fraudulent, intentional, reckless, or malicious. Clearly, the last three of the factors are met in this situation if the situation is being reported accurately.
Punitive damages are often little consolation to the family or friends of a victim that has lost his or her life in an accident but they do serve the important purposes of providing further compensation to the victim and punishing the defendant for his or her wrongful conduct. A substantial punitive damages award may be of little value if the defendant is unable to pay, so it is important for victims and their families to know which parties can potentially be held responsible for such damages and how to best go about arguing that such damages are warranted. An experienced personal injury attorney can assist victims in both of these areas.
Source: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=132369&catid=2
