A 13-year-old girl injured in a deadly crash in Pembroke, Massachusetts, last month is suing the driver of the other car as well as the company that hosted a holiday party where he had allegedly been drinking, the Patriot Ledger reports.
According to court documents obtained by the paper, Gary Zemotel filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter, Kendall Zemotel, who was critically injured in the Dec. 30 crash which killed her friend, 13-year-old Claire Zisserson.
The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of Gregory Goodsell, the Marshfield man police said was severely impaired at the time of the crash; as well as Hi-Way Safety Systems, the highway contractor which owned the truck he'd been driving.
The lawsuit comes about a month after the crash, which rocked the town of Plymouth, where the girls attended school.
The tragedy brought scrutiny on Hi-Way Safety Systems, which fired Goodsell after the crash. Additionally, sources told NBC10 Boston a man who was found dead at a Rockland hotel on the day of the crash had also been at a company holiday party, along with Goodsell.
The crash left Kendall with a traumatic brain injury, multiple orthopedic injuries to her neck, shoulder, pelvis and bilateral legs and internal injuries, according to the court document.
Prosecutors say Goodsell acknowledged to police that he was severely impaired at the time of the crash from drinking and taking cocaine at the company Christmas party he was coming from.
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The lawsuit also names Kenneth Horn, the owner of Hi-Way Safety Systems, and his wife Kathy Delong. It accuses Goodsell, Horn, Delong and Hi-Way Systems of negligence.
Goodsell faces nine charges, including manslaughter and drunken driving. He is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 10 for a probable cause hearing.
During his first hearing, prosecutors revealed that Goodsell has an extensive driving history that involves 35 incidents, including a previous accident that led to reckless operation, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges.
Kendall's family has spent a substantial amount of money on medical treatment, according to the lawsuit. Gary Zemotel started a Go Fund Me to raise money for Kendall. The page has raised $58,040 since Dec. 31, 2019.
