Suit claims Finn Curran given cocktail to go from Rafferty's Irish Pub in Countryside before DUI crash that killed Tanya Navarro
The family of a mother killed by a drunk driver is taking legal action.
A new lawsuit claims the person responsible for a crash in Hodgkins was behind the wheel with an alcoholic drink, allegedly provided by a bar in nearby Countryside.
It was the holiday season last year when a mother of two was killed by a drunk driver. The man charged in her death had just left a Countryside bar with, according to a lawsuit filed Monday, a vodka Red Bull to go.
For Alyza Lopez and her younger sister, Aliyah Phillips, this year will be their first Thanksgiving without their mother. Tanya Navarro was killed last year on Dec. 13. The 44-year-old was a backseat passenger in a friend's disabled van when a truck driven by Finn Curran smashed into the back of it on LaGrange Road in southwest suburban Hodgkins.
"My mom was my only living parent. So she was taken away from me six days after I got engaged. So that just kind of makes it a little heavier than it already was," Lopez said.
On behalf of her mother's estate, Lopez is not only filing a civil suit against Curran, but the bar where he drank before the deadly crash.
The lawsuit says the 22-year-old stopped at Rafferty's Irish Pub in Countryside after work. He spent over four hours at the bar. Attorney Joseph Murphy says Curran was over twice the legal limit when he hit the van.
"Mr. Curran's truck slammed into the back of the vehicle Tanya was at 80-90 miles per hour, according to the defendant Mr. Curran," Murphy said.
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According to the lawsuit, after several hours of drinking at the bar, Curran asked for a double shot of vodka. The bartender cut him down to one, but also gave him a vodka Red Bull to go when Curran left Rafferty's in his truck.
"The fact that the bar decided to give Curran an extra drink when they knew full well that he was intoxicated shows that the bar was choosing profits over the safety of the public," Murphy said.
Illinois state law holds businesses that serve alcohol liable for injuries caused by an intoxicated patron. But, damages are capped at $107,000, a figure some state lawmakers say is likely not enough.
"We need to reassess and reevaluate. Is this cap enough of a deterrent to prevent bars who are irresponsible from over-providing drinks? And right now, clearly it's not," said state Sen. Willie Preston, a Democrat representing the 16th District.
Navarro's daughters say their mother's death was entirely preventable.
"So, I'm now planning a wedding without either my mother or my father. So you know, getting justice for this means a lot to me because she was all I had," Lopez said.
Curran was criminally charged with felony driving under the influence. He pleaded not guilty. Curran's case is back in court on Jan. 20. He is expected to change his plea.
Raffery's pub had no comment.
