Parents of Four Gretna Girls Killed in Crash File Tort Claim
Papillion – The parents of four Gretna High School teenagers who died in a crash last year allege in a tort claim against Sarpy County that poor roadway design and negligent actions by the county contributed to the wreck.
A tort claim is the first step a private citizen must take before suing the government, the Omaha World-Herald reported. The claim said a section of the county road south of Omaha and a guardrail were “negligently designed, engineered, constructed and/or maintained.”
The single-car crash on June 17, 2019, killed 16-year-olds Abigail Barth, Kloe Odermatt and Addisyn Pfeifer and 15-year-old Alex Minardi, who all attended Gretna High School. A fifth teenager was seriously injured.
The vehicle veered off the road, came to rest in a creek and caught fire. Police have said the vehicle was going 90 mph and four of the five girls had alcohol in their systems. The families said in a statement they filed the tort claim to preserve their legal options and to prompt the county to make the road where the crash occurred safer.
Megan Stubenhofer-Barrett, a spokeswoman for Sarpy County, said county officials cannot comment on pending legal matters.
– Associated Press
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