Woman sues HERSELF over fatal crash that killed her husband

by Jennifer Lawrence | February 23, 2015 10:45 pm

Plaintiff and defendant are the same person? Interesting… how is this going to turn out?[1]

[2]

A Utah woman who was the driver in a crash that killed her husband has been given the go-ahead to sue herself for negligence.
The bizarre legal situation arose after Barbara Bagley, as representative of her dead husband’s estate, filed papers suing herself as the driver, in order to claim damages against the insurance company.
The December 27, 2011, accident occurred on Interstate 80 near Battle Mountain, about 225 miles east of Reno.
It was reported at the time she suffered a concussion, broken ribs, a shattered wrist and two punctured lungs, while her husband Brad Vom Baur was initially taken to hospital in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries.
According to court documents, Bagley as the estate representative seeks unspecified amount of damages for medical expenses, loss of financial support and the loss of her husband’s love and companionship, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The claim was initially denied by a district judge in January 2014, only for it to be overruled on appeal.
Lawyers representing her in her capacity as estate representative said she was suing herself because legally, she had to act to benefit the estate.
But those representing her in her own capacity as the driver said: ‘If this suit is allowed to continue, a jury would be asked to determine whether Barbara Bagley’s fault caused Barbara Bagley’s own harm,’ the paper reported.
‘The jury would be asked to determine how much money will fairly compensate Barbara Bagley for the harm she caused herself. The jury will be highly confused – it cannot order a person to compensate herself.’
The accident itself made headlines in 2012 because the couple’s Shetland sheepdog Dooley – in the car at the time of the crash – escaped unscathed, but spent 53 days surviving on roadkill and water sources before being found.
At the time, she said: ‘I would think about Dooley constantly,’ she said. ‘There were TV commercials with dogs that made me think about him and cry. He’s just the sweetest dog.’
The search for Dooley was cancelled before it began after the January 6 discovery of what appeared to be the dog’s remains along the interstate. The same day, her husband died.
‘It was a horrible day for me,’ Ms Bagley recalled. ‘But something inside me told me Dooley was still alive out there. I wasn’t 100 per cent sure, but I didn’t grieve for Dooley like I did for my husband and our other dog.’
However, after several searched, a friend finally spotted Dooley and managed to coax him into his Jeep.
Dog and owner were reunited after 53 days.

One more example of the crazy world we live in.