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Mother Files Lawsuit In Centerville, Indiana Drowning Case
April 09, 2008

You could argue that enough has been done to rectify the errors that led to 17-year-old Centerville, Indiana teenager Trey Kidwell's death. Signs have been planted warning people that what they think is a road, is actually a boat ramp that ends directly at the lake - the very same lake in which Trey drowned.

But, signage and warnings are all meaningless if they've appeared only after three people have lost their lives at the very same spot. There is still more that needs to be done, and now a lawsuit filed by Trey's mother, Teresa Throop, aims to do exactly that - it charges the state of Indiana and Union County with negligence in his death.

The incident occurred on the night of June 2. 2007. Trey Kidwell and a friend, Robert Sharpe, found themselves lost as they drove near Brookville Lake. They got onto a road that was poorly lit. It was 11:20 pm and visibility was poor. By the time the boys realized that what they thought was a badly-lit road was actually a boat ramp, it was too late. The car plunged into the water. Sharpe managed to extricate himself and swim to safety. Trey drowned. When emergency services arrived at the scene later, they found his body with the car totally submerged under water.

When the accident took place all that the road had to show that there was a possibly dangerous ramp ahead, were two signs that read "Road Ends", a rumble strip on the ramp and a light at the edge of the water. That was about all the warning the boys got. Essentially, by the time the boys could see where they were - by the light at the edge of the ramp - they were already too close to the water to avoid a plunge.

Shockingly, this was far from the first accident that had claimed lives at the exact same boat ramp. Since 1999, three people, including Trey, have lost their lives at the exact same spot. The Lake has three other ramps, but the Fairfield Ramp from which Trey's car plunged into the water is the only one to have had deaths associated with it. The first incident happened in 1999, when a 20-year-old man died after the car he was in drove off the ramp. Then in 2006, a businessman from Crowne Point drowned in the exact same manner - driving his car off the ramp. All three accidents happened at night.

Besides the state of Indiana and Union County, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the Indiana department of State Services are also named in the lawsuit which claims damages of $500,000.

This isn't about money though. This is about focusing attention on the state's negligence. It's shameful that three people had to be killed before more prominent signage was posted at the spot of the accident. Teresa Throop would rather have her only child back with her safe and sound, instead of having to file a lawsuit to keep the focus on the cause of her son's death.

If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed due to a dangerous road, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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