The wife of Edward Packard of Cleves, Ohio filed a wrongful death suit in the state of Nebraska on behalf of her deceased husband. Her suit blames several people putting on a tractor pull, and a former police officer for the death of her spouse.
Mr. Packard was killed while riding his motorcycle when he struck the side of a truck which had been traveling in the opposite direction but then made a left turn directly in front of him. Packard, 64, was thrown from the motorcycle and died quickly from injuries sustained in the accident. The truck was driven by Steven Darveau Jr., a former police officer.
Darveau was driving to attend a tractor pull being put on by the local Jaycees. It is unknown if Darveau was still employed as a police officer at the time of the accident, as records appear to conflict at this time.
An accident report at the scene filed by a local county sheriff indicated that the police suspect alcohol intoxication played a role in the accident. However, the former officer, who worked for two separate police organizations, has not been charged with a crime. The local prosecuting attorney claims to be investigating the case to determine if charges are warranted.
Diane Packard, unsatisfied with this investigation, filed a wrongful death claim against not only Darveau, but also CJS Entertainment which owns the venue at which the tractor pull was to be held, and the Falls City Area Jaycees who were hosting the event. Packard’s suit states that unlike previous events, despite knowing traffic to be heavier during such tractor pulls, neither the Jaycees nor local law enforcement were directing traffic in a manner to allow for the increased congestion. This was compounded by the fact that traffic was being diverted from another local road due to heavy flooding.
The suit also alleges that Darveau was negligent in not yielding to an oncoming vehicle, making an unsafe left turn, and for failing to take actions to avoid the accident.
