New Jersey, USA

Jersey City, NJ: (May-26-07) The families of two Jersey City police officers, Officer Shawn Carson, 40, and his partner Robert Nguyen, 30, filed a wrongful death suit against the state, alleging that the Department of Transportation was negligent in its safety measures that caused the death of the officers. Carson and Nguyen were killed when their Emergency Services Unit truck inadvertently went off the Lincoln Highway Bridge. The pair had dropped off flares on the Kearny side of the lift bridge for use in stopping traffic while it was open because its barriers were not working. They headed back toward Jersey City unaware that the center portion of the bridge had already been raised, and their car plunged into the cold waters of the Hackensack River. The suit claimed that the Department of Transportation failed to address safety problems at the bridge, and that it operated the span negligently. The families also named Jersey City and Kearny in the suit, but local officials said they were named for discovery purposes only. In a settlement reached, the state agreed to pay the families $1 million, ending the federal lawsuit. Further, Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill that renamed the bridge in honor of the two police officers. [EVERYTHING JERSEY: POLICE BRIDGE DEATHS]

Legal Help

If you have a similar problem and would like to be contacted by a lawyer at no cost or obligation, please click the link below.
Published on May-28-07