An incredibly poor decision to get behind the wheel drunk – underage, mind you – has resulted in the death of the 18-year-old passenger, and driving under the influence (DUI) and manslaughter charges for the 19-year-old driver.
The incident occurred August 11 in Cordova. The two young men were on their way from a boat moored at Cordova’s Small Boat Harbor to a Shelter Cove public sauna.
According to data released by Alaska’s Division of Risk Management, Alaska has shelled out almost $3 million to settle claims by prison inmates and their families over the last decade for wrongful deaths. News reports say that new claims are sure to follow based upon perceived systematic problems in Alaska’s prison system. In this article, we’ll discuss how wrongful death claims are handled in the Last Frontier State.
A wrongful death suit can be brought forth in Alaska when a person’s death is caused as a direct result of neglect or carelessness of someone else. For example, if a person dies as a result of medical malpractice, motor vehicle or slip-and-fall accident, the victim’s family or estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit.