Bicycle Rider's Death Causes Family to File a Civil Suit Against Driver of Car
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After the legal remedy handed by a Virginia court left them dissatisfied, the family of a boy who died from the personal injuries he sustained while biking filed a civil suit against the woman who struck him, according to the family’s attorney.
On December 5, the family’s attorney filed a complaint in Prince William County District Court naming 62-year-old Manassas resident Marilyn Jill Freeman as a defendant. The family seeks monetary compensation for her involvement in the death of 13-year-old Prabhdeep Singh Randhawa and an explanation of what really happened, according to their attorney.
Court records show that while Freeman was driving south on Hoadly Road shortly before 7 p.m. on July 29, she was “looking at scenery” and “distracted from the roadway.” Her vehicle veered toward the right-hand shoulder and struck Prabhdeep, who was riding his bicycle on the shoulder, which is the area designate for bicycles. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to court records, on October 2, Freeman entered a plea of guilty to reckless driving. She received a 6-month suspended sentence, a $1,000 reduced fine, 50 hours of community service, and a license suspension of six months. She is only allowed to drive for medical purposes.
On the day of the accident, Freeman was transporting her terminally ill mother, which she is still allowed to do under her suspended license, according to the prosecuting attorney. He added that she is also allowed to drive for her own medical care, one of which is mental health counseling.
It took nearly a month for Prince William County Police to determine how the accident played out. Court records show that an accident reconstructionist and a private investigator were also involved. The crash occurred just outside Prabhdeep’s neighborhood, which is five miles from Freeman’s home.
According to the prosecution, there were no witnesses at the time of the accident, but people came forward after a call was put out through the media.
Police arrested Freeman on August 20.
The prosecution said that Freeman’s actions did not “rise to the level” of manslaughter and it was a misdemeanor because it had not risen to willful gross-negligence.
Online court records show that Freeman had been ordered to attend alcohol safety classes, but the prosecution and court documents show that to be erroneous, as she had not had any drinks.
The attorney for Prabhdeep’s family said that the family expected a harsher sentence, but it is likely that the defendant would receive no jail time in similar cases.
