A young couple and their infant son suffered injuries from a head-on collision at 1:00am on January 23, 2012. The defendant was driving in the wrong direction on Route 35 and showed a Blood Alcohol Content of .25. The infant child, properly secured in his child seat, sustained a fractured skull and brain damage, resulting in seizures and requiring extensive treatment and therapy. The child has suffered delayed development and motor, physical and cognitive skills along with other neurologic related issues. In the accident, the mother was thrown from the back seat to the front passenger area, resulting in multiple injuries and the need for three separate back surgeries, from which she is still recovering. Her husband received permanent injury to his right shoulder amongst other injuries that were successfully treated.
Liable for the incident, in addition to the drunk driver, was his companion whom had let him leave that night along with the bar who served the visibly intoxicated defendant. The valet company associated with the restaurant was also liable as employees had left their shift early on the night of the incident, neglecting their duties to provide parking lot management and security. Jim Martin and Dana McDade were able to reach a settlement of $2.63 million for the injured family.