Nearly two years after Lieutenant Kevin M. Kelly died from injuries he sustained when Boston Fire Department Ladder 26 sped down Parker Hill Avenue in Mission Hill before crashed through a brick wall and into a building, his family is suing six companies for Suffolk County wrongful death. The defendants of the case are Woodward’s Auto Spring Shop Inc. of Brockton, Damian Diesel Inc. of Avon, Broadway Brake Corp. of Somerville, Boston Freightliner Inc. of Everett, Bay State Auto Spring Manufacturing Co. of Roxbury, and Suspension Specialists Inc. of Allston. The city had contracted the companies to maintain or inspect the fire truck’s braking systems.
In their Boston wrongful death lawsuit, the plaintiffs, Kelly’s widow Gloria and daughter Susan, are accusing the defendants of gross negligence, installing the wrong parts, faulty brake work, and failing through proper inspection to notice the errors that had been made. The 52-year-old firefighter had been riding in the front passenger seat on January 9, 2009 when the brakes on Ladder 26 failed. Kelly died from the massive head trauma he sustained during the Boston truck crash. The other firefighters who were on the firetruck with him sustained injuries, as did four of the children who were in the computer learning center of the building that the truck had struck. Kelley’s family is seeking unspecified damages from the defendants.
Defective or Faulty Brakes
A driver cannot afford to have the brakes of his/her vehicle malfunction. The inability to slow down or stop a vehicle can result in tragic consequences.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your brake malfunction, there may be more than one party who should be held liable for the defective brakes, such as the manufacturer of the car or the brakes or the company in charge of repairing, maintaining, and/or inspecting the them.
Family files lawsuit over firefighter’s death, Boston.com, November 2, 2010
Boston firefighter killed when ladder truck crashes into building, AP/FireRescue, January 9, 2009
Deadly Boston Fire Truck Accident May Have Been Caused By Brake Failure, Says Survivors, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 11, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog
Boston Fire Department
Brake malfunctions and other auto defects have killed too many people. You may have grounds for a Boston products liability claim or a wrongful death case.