A lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages was filed Thursday on behalf of two people injured in a multi-vehicle weekend crash that killed five others.
Elyssa "Ely" Alba and her son, Artemio "A.J." Cardoza, Jr, were both injured in the crash involving 17 people and nine vehicles early Sunday morning.
Alba and her son were among nearly a dozen people on the shoulder assisting other drivers involved in a minor crash when a Ryder tractor-trailer crashed into the stopped vehicles and caught fire, injuring many of the good Samaritans and killing five.
The suit names both Ryder Integrated Logistics, Inc. and driver Dustin Pool.
The Tarrant County medical examiner identified the victims in the crash as 43-year-old Veronica Gonzales, 42-year-old Mary Hernandez, 45-year-old Steven Franklin and 37-year-old Claudia Barraza. Clarissa Banda, 18, died after being taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, according to the Dallas County medical examiner.
Alba is expected to remain hospitalized for at least another month, has had a leg amputated and is suffering from fractures from her jaw to her hip. Her son has been discharged but remains under the care of a physician, Alba's lawyer said in a statement.
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"With so many deaths, and injuries, we wanted to file suit quickly, so that we can start discovery as soon as possible," lawyer Geoff Henley said in a statement. "There will be a lot of data to analyze, and many experts to retain, so it is imperative that we start immediately to protect the victims."
The crash remains under investigation.
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