Tag Archives: wrongful death

A Rusty Situation

Incident in the West

A famous Hollywood actor is the subject of recent lawsuits tied to the unfortunate shooting that took place on the “Rust” movie set in New Mexico. On October 21, Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger to a gun that he was told and believed to be cold. The devastating conclusion to Baldwin’s firing resulted in the death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins and the injury of director, Joel Souza. According to the script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, who has filed the most recent “Rust” lawsuit, this incident was not the first weapons-related accident on set. Reportedly, one of Baldwin’s stunt doubles accidentally misfired a weapon and a prop master mistakenly shot herself in the foot.   Continue reading →

Lives Derailed in Accident

Train crash

Shortly following a September 25 train accident in Montana, the wife of a deceased passenger has filed a lawsuit against Amtrak and BNSF Railway. The ten-car train was traveling from Chicago to Seattle and was maintaining the speed of 75 mph at the time of the incident. While Rebecca Schneider was located in the sleeper car, her husband’s viewing car derailed, killing him. Two other fatalities in the accident include a couple, Don and Margie Varnadoe, who were taking a cross-country trip in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. A portion of the remaining 138 passengers and 16 crew members sought medical treatment for injuries, and all but five have since been released from the hospital. Continue reading →

Speeding Away from Liability

Leaving the scene

Following the shocking death of Nicki Minaj’s father, Robert Maraj, the man allegedly responsible for his demise has been charged and civilly sued for wrongful death. Although the famous singer has reportedly refrained from issuing a public statement in regards to the circumstances of her father’s death, Nicki Minaj’s mother, Carol Maraj, expresses relief in knowing that the man accused of killing her husband has been identified. On February 12 of this year, Robert Maraj was struck by a vehicle while walking in Mineola on Long Island and died in the hospital the following day. Continue reading →

Traveling a Slippery Slope

Dangerous terrain

A school committed to providing an education on avalanche safety is now the topic of a recent lawsuit. The family of Peter Marshall is suing Silverton Avalanche School, among other defendants, for wrongful death.  According to the lawsuit, on January 5, 2019, there was a misjudgment of how steep the slope was, as well as the potential to cause an avalanche.  Two avalanches were triggered, which led to Marshall getting trapped under several feet of snow. The guide, Zachary Lovell, and the remaining students searched for Marshall but were unable to find him until 50 minutes after the second avalanche. Continue reading →

Wrongful Death of TV Star

Beautiful but deadly lake

The cast of Glee has seen its fair share of tragedy.  Since 2013, three actors on the show have passed away.  The most recent death occurred this past summer on July 8.  Naya Rivera and her four-year-old son rented a pontoon boat from Parks and Recreation Management (PMC) to spend the day on Lake Piru. Fans were shocked to hear that the actress did not return to shore, leaving her son as the lone survivor. After an extensive and thorough days-long search, Rivera’s body was recovered.  Four months since that accident, Rivera’s estate and her ex-husband have filed a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of her son. Continue reading →