The family of a Bentonville High School student who was killed during a vehicle accident on Interstate 540 last fall is filing a lawsuit against the other driver involved, his employer and the maker of her vehicle’s seatbelt component.
Sara Symons, 17, was killed on Sept. 1, 2011, when her Jeep Grand Cherokee collided with a Chevrolet Camaro driven by Kendall Riggins. According to the family’s attorneys the Camaro was ‘painted NASCAR style with advertisements for his employer Lindsey & Associates.’ According to a police report, Riggins was cited for careless and prohibited driving.
A statement from the attorneys claims a forensic investigation shows that the seat belt worn by Symons failed during the collision, causing her to be thrown from the vehicle.
The lawsuit will be filed against Riggins, Lindsey & Associates, and Chrysler and Honeywell, the manufacturer of the seat belt component.
The Symons family is being represented by Sean Keith of Keith Miller Butler Schneider & Pawlik, PLLC, and Michael Andrews of Beasley Allen.
Symons had been named to the BHS Homecoming court just hours before her dead, according to her family’s attorneys.
