Companies named in Vegas wrongful death lawsuits

Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2001 | 11:11 a.m.

Five wrongful death lawsuits were filed in recent weeks in Clark County District Court against several transportation companies and one Las Vegas contractor.

The family of Fred Jackson Jr. of Las Vegas sued California Wholesale Material Supply, Cal Ply of Las Vegas, Penske Truck Leasing Co. and its employee Antonio Carbajal, alleging their negligence caused Jackson's death on Dec. 13, 2000.

The Nevada Highway Patrol, which said Jackson was killed after a truck hit the rear of his car, said Jackson either stopped his car or was barely moving in the slow lane of northbound U.S. 95 near Charleston Boulevard without his lights on, causing the accident.

The defendants declined comment.

Separately, the family of Christopher Parshall of Las Vegas sued U-Haul International Inc., U-Haul Co. of Nevada Inc., U-Haul Co. of Las Vegas Inc., Amerco Real Estate Co. also known as U-Haul Real Estate Co., U-Haul Center of North Las Vegas, Amerco Dallas-Ft.Worth Enterprises Inc., alleging their negligence caused his death.

The suit, which said the defendants failed to warn Parshall of the potential hazards of driving a car tow dolly, said Parshall died of injuries on Nov. 1, 1999 after he lost control of the car tow dolly and rolled over.

The defendants declined comment.

The family of George Miller sued Avis Rent-A-Car System Inc. and Willie Thomas Jr., an alleged driver of an Avis car, alleging Miller died of fatal injuries after he was struck down as a pedestrian on Oct. 9, 2000.

Avis Rent-A-Car declined comment.

The family of Rosa Delegado of Las Vegas sued Labor Systems Inc., Terrible Herbst Inc. and its employee, Darwin Ray Ellison, alleging Ellison's drunk driving caused her death on March 16.

Ellison, whom the suit described as a "career criminal with a known disposition to drive vehicles while under the influence and steal," allegedly drove a Terrible Herbst truck without his employer's authorization and struck Delegado.

The suit said Delegado was trying to get into her car at Fremont Street about 143 feet east of Las Vegas Boulevard, when Ellison, driving eastbound on Fremont Street just south of the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard, hit Delegado. She was pinned against her car door, and then run over by the rear tires of the truck.

Ellison, who pleaded guilty in April, was sentenced to 5 1/2 to 20 years in prison in June. In exchange for pleading guilty to driving under the influence, causing death, prosecutors agreed to dismiss grand theft auto and leaving the scene of an accident charges.

The suit accused Herbst and Labor Systems of being negligent in retaining competent employees.

The defendants declined comment.

The family of Pauline Westfall of Las Vegas sued Spring Mountain Ranch LLC and Kaufman and Broad of Nevada Inc., alleging their negligence caused her death.

The suit said the defendants created an "unreasonable hazard to vehicular travel" when their allegedly illegal grading operations on Sept. 1, 1999, at Durango Drive, about 1,320 feet north of El Capitan Way, "resulted in an unmarked obstruction of a public right of way."

Westfall died when her vehicle ran into an embankment on Durango just north of El Capitan. Metro Police said she wasn't wearing a seat belt.

Kaufman and Broad officials declined comment on the allegations, saying they haven't seen the lawsuit.