Relatives of Northville family killed by drunk driver sues bars that over-served him
(FOX 2) - The faces of the Abbas family are hard to forget.
As the family is working to get some kind of vindication we are learning the drunk driver was served 19 drinks that night, he had a blood alcohol level almost four times the legal limit.
"They want to do anything and everything they can so that this kind of tragedy doesn't happen to another family," said Andy Mayoras, the family's attorney.
Killed by a drunk driver, the Abbas family from Northville died on a dark Kentucky highway in January on the way back from vacation.
They were hit head-on by a driver going the wrong direction on the highway for six miles.
"I mean this accident just happened three months ago," Mayoras said. "It's the wounds are very raw."
Family attorney Andy Mayoras says loved ones are now seeking justice for Issam, Rima and their three children through a wrongful death suit filed Wednesday against two Kentucky bars.
They say the bars overserved the drunk driver Joey Lee Bailey who also died in the crash.
"To keep supplying that person with alcohol when they may be too far beyond the limit to know when to stop, it's just not acceptable," Mayoras said.
About 24 hours after that suit was filed, The Horseshoes Bar admitted in court to over-serving Bailey that night. Bailey had at least 19 drinks that night, nine served at the Horseshoes in the hours before the crash.
"He gets on the road with a blood alcohol content of over .3 which is almost four times the legal limit in Michigan," Mayoras said.
The penalty was a $10,000 fine and a 10-day suspension on liquor sales - not enough say Mayoras.
"To some extent, they equate this with - is that what their lost family members are worth?" Mayoras said.
They are hoping the wrongful death suit will send more of a message.
"If the bar had cut him off or done something to intercede where he wouldn't drink and drive, the family might be alive today," Mayoras said.
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The Horseshoes Bar has been cited in the past for over-serving and the other bar, Rooster's, where Bailey was at earlier in the night, has not been in court yet.
Mayoras said the suit will go through the Kentucky legal system. It could take years before they see a conclusion in court but the wait, they say, will hopefully be worth it.