Article written by Tracy Delatte on February 20, 2013, published by KDFW FOX 4 Dallas Fort-Worth.
DALLAS – The family of a woman killed by a pickup truck that was jacked up so high the driver said he never saw her has won a wrongful death lawsuit.
Kasey McKenzie was killed in the parking lot of the Spearmint Rhino Gentlemen’s Club in Dallas on March 17, 2011. She was hit when she stepped in front of 27-year-old Eric Crutchfield’s Ford F-250 as he put it in gear.
Crutchfield pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to three years in prison. His blood tests showed twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.
He also told officers at the scene he couldn’t see the 23-year-old woman from the driver’s seat of his heavily customized lifted truck.
McKenzie’s family sued both Crutchfield and the Spearmint Rhino because in Texas, bars and restaurants can be held liable for over-serving anyone who injures someone else in a drunken driving accident.
A Dallas jury reached a unanimous verdict on Tuesday after a two-week trial. They awarded the family $10.5 million.
The family’s attorney said it sends a message to establishments who chose to overserve and puts other establishments on notice.
An attorney for the club had no comment.
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