Grandparents sue over semitruck wreck that killed mom, four children near Viola
The paternal grandparents of a 10-year-old girl killed in a devastating crash that also claimed the lives of her mother and three young siblings has filed suit against the semitruck driver involved in the collision and his employer.
Mark and Carrie Brady, whose 10-year-old granddaughter Anaiah Brady died Friday after her family’s Ford Expedition collided with a loaded grain truck between Cheney and Clearwater, are seeking damages in excess of $75,000 from the semitruck driver, 31-year-old Andrew Specht of Argonia, and L.B. White Trucking Inc. of Wellington.
Specht could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday. Ronald White, who is affiliated with the trucking company, said he was not aware of the lawsuit and called the crash “a tragedy” when contacted by phone, but declined to comment.
Wichita attorney Blake Shuart, who is representing the Mulvane couple, said he had no comment “other than to say that we are going to find out exactly what happened and why.”
The wrongful death lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Sedgwick County District Court, alleges Specht and L.B. White Trucking “were negligent, reckless and/or wanton” including speeding, ignoring traffic signs, failing to yield right-of-way, and “failing to keep a proper lookout” when Specht ran a stop sign at the intersection of 71st Street South and 263rd Street West. Specht was traveling “at high-speed” and hit Jessica Noel’s SUV “with such force that the SUV snapped in half,” the lawsuit says.
Noel, 32, and three of her children — Anaiah, 4-year-old Jeffrey Thompson III and a baby, 4-month-old Hank Thompson — were killed instantly. A fourth child, 23-month-old son Mack Thompson, died at the hospital a short time later.
The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m. Friday while the family was away from their Viola home for a shopping trip, according to a GoFundMe account set raising money for medical and burial costs.
Authorities investigating the wreck have only said publicly that Specht ran the stop sign but haven’t said what caused him to do so. Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Benjamin Blick said Wednesday the investigation continues and had not yet been presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether any criminal charges are warranted.
Noel was driving her vehicle “in an appropriate and reasonable manner and with due regard for her and her passengers’ safety,” the lawsuit contends.
Anaiah has no surviving parents or siblings, the lawsuit says; records show her biological father died in 2012 when she was a toddler.
The Bradys are asking for a jury to hear the case.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 3:16 PM.
