Relatives of three Dallas women who were killed last month in a fiery, chain collision crash in Central Texas have filed a civil lawsuit against the accused driver.
The eight-page suit, filed Monday in Williamson County, is seeking at least $1 million in damages on behalf of Ruby Cruz, Thalia Salinas and Jacqueline Velazco. Two other victims, identified as Desiree Cervantes and Brianna Valadez, also died in the July 25 crash in Burnet County, but they aren’t part of the litigation.
In addition to being named in the civil lawsuit, Kody Lane Talley, 37, also faces five charges of manslaughter in connection with the crash on U.S. Highway 281.
“There is a wrong that needs to be addressed, an accountability that needs to be taken for the loss of life here,” said attorney Matthew Graham, who is representing three of the five victims’ families. “It’s [a] horrible, tragic loss of five beautiful young ladies.”
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Graham said he anticipates lawsuits on behalf of Cervantes and Valadez will follow.
State troopers responded to a traffic accident in which a northbound 2018 Ram 4500 truck pulling a livestock trailer crossed into the southbound lanes and hit a Chevrolet Malibu, according to earlier statements from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Related:Man arrested in fatal, fiery Burnet County crash that killed five Dallas women
The truck then collided with a Mercedes SUV, which was behind the Malibu, and the SUV overturned and caught fire. All five women inside were killed.
According to the lawsuit, it’s believed Talley was intoxicated at the time. He has two previous convictions for driving while intoxicated, Graham sad.
“Given [Talley’s] history and given the circumstances of the crash — wherein he drove into oncoming traffic with his accelerator pedal pushed all the way to the floor — something was wrong and it goes past mere negligence, in our opinion. It was reckless, at least,” Graham said.
Talley’s father, Charles Talley, and his business, Texas Camp Horses, are also included in the lawsuit. Graham said Charles Talley’s “guilt is almost as significant as his son’s,” because he owns the business and the truck, and he made the decision to put Talley behind the wheel.
Talley was being held in Burnet County jail as of Tuesday evening. His bail is set at $1 million, records show.
“The kind of behavior that led to the accident can be corrected. These sort of tragedies are totally unnecessary,” Graham said. “These girls didn’t need to die, and this guy just shouldn’t have been on the road.”