The family of a Naugatuck man who died last October when a car he was riding in crashed in Seymour has sued the car’s driver, as well as the driver and owner of a car the man was allegedly racing at the time of the accident.
The lawsuit was filed June 21 by Kenneth Jordan Sr. and Kimberly Barbera-Spencer, administrators of the estate of Korey Jordan, who was 19 at the time of his death in the Oct. 31 crash.
Manuel Esteves, 21, the driver of the car Jordan was riding in at the time of the crash, has since been charged with drunken driving, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and reckless driving.
According to an arrest warrant used to charge Esteves, the crash occurred after a group of friends including Esteves and Jordan left a drinking party in the woods off Pheasant Drive and headed to McDonald’s.
The group traveled in two vehicles, and police said the pair of cars raced one another down South Main Street before Esteves lost control of his vehicle, crashed into a telephone pole and then collided with a cement wall.
According to the warrant, police noticed an odor of alcohol on Esteves’ breath at the crash scene, and later got a search record for his medical records, which showed a blood alcohol content of .156 as well as “positive readings for opiates and benzodiazepines.”
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The lawsuit charges that Jordan’s death was caused by Esteves’ “negligence and carelessness” because he was drunk, racing, and driving erratically.
The lawsuit also alleges negligence and carelessness on the part of Joseph Feraca, a 17-year-old Seymour resident who was allegedly driving the car Esteves was racing.
The owner of the car Feraca was driving, Jordan Ballolli, 18, of Naugatuck, is also named as a defendant.
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Seymour Fatal Accident Lawsuit
Michael Rosnick, the lawyer representing the Jordan’s family, sent the Valley Indy the following statement regarding the lawsuit:
“This is a tragic circumstance for my client’s family, and also for the other passengers in the vehicle who fortunately survived the crash. We have brought this action to Court in furtherance of my client’s pursuit of justice against those responsible for his death.”
The Valley Indy left a message for Esteves’ lawyer in the criminal case against him Wednesday (June 26).
Esteves is scheduled to appear at Superior Court in Derby Friday Aug. 1 in the criminal case.
The lawsuit does not specify a specific amount of damages sought in the case, only that the amount sought exceeds $15,000.
In addition to medical, funeral, and burial expenses, the lawsuit seeks damages based on the lost wages Jordan would have earned if he hadn’t died.
