Nebraska Wrongful Death Lawsuit Over Car Crash Results in $1.9M Verdict

A Nebraska jury has awarded $1.75 million to the mother of a 15-year-old girl who was killed in a car driven by an unlicensed teen.  

The jury award brings the total compensation in the wrongful death lawsuit to $1.9 million when added to an award for medical and funeral expenses already handed down by District Judge Paul Merritt, Jr., earlier in the case. According to a report in the Lincoln Journal Star, the complaint was brought by Alisa Heath, whose daughter, Megan Churchill was killed in an automobile accident in March 2007 while riding in a car driven by 17-year-old Ricky Turco and owned by his ex-wife, Naomi Brock.

Heath alleged that Turco drove a Chrysler Concorde into a tree at 60 m.p.h. after attempting to jump a hill in residential neighborhood. He did not have a license at the time of the car crash, and is currently serving 10 to 14 years after being convicted of manslaughter in Churchill’s death.

The auto accident lawsuit included a claim against Brock for negligence in allowing Turco drive her car, as Turco had an extensive history of traffic violations before the accident. The jury awarded Heath $1,750,000 for Churchill’s loss. Judge Merritt had already awarded Heath $151,639 for medical and funeral expenses.

The ruling is the second successful lawsuit against Turco and Brock. The father of Joshua Rice, another teen hurt in the crash, was awarded $56,688 in a lawsuit against the couple.