Wife plans to sue after husband killed in Chandler freeway crash
Tondra Doss
By Sarah Robinson
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CHANDLER, Arizona (KTVK) — A Valley family is taking legal action tonight after their loved one was killed in a fiery chain-reaction crash on Interstate 10 in Chandler last week. The family says they feel confident in this lawsuit, knowing it was caused by distracted driving.
First, the family is waiting to see if criminal charges will be filed against the driver. Then they’ll know how to formulate their civil case. However, they know they will target both the driver and the trucking company.
“I just went into shock. Then I passed out,” said Tondra Doss, who’s mourning the loss of her husband, Willis. He was killed in the crash when a semi-truck plowed into multiple cars on I-10 in Chandler. The family just learned distracted driving is to blame for his death. “It’s so hard for me. I swear it’s so hard for me,” Doss said.
Tondra’s now suffering from horrible anxiety, having multiple panic attacks daily. “My mom drove me to the grocery store earlier, and an 18-wheeler was on the right side of me, and you know how you don’t think, but you act? I didn’t think, I just seen it and my body just shifted,” she said. Now, the hardest part is explaining what happened to their little girl. “Mommy, I miss my daddy,” said Willis’ daughter, Wailyn. “I know, I miss him too,” Tondra replied.
“This type of accident should not happen,” said John Kelly, Doss’s lawyer. Kelly is an attorney specializing in wrongful death lawsuits. He says he believes they have a solid case, pursuing both the driver and the company, Mr. Bult’s. “The more we look at trucking accidents, the more we look at, was it the driver’s fault or does it go back further to the company and what the company does to lay the groundwork for safety,” Kelly said.
Though no amount of money could ever bring Willis back, Tondra says she wants to prevent this from happening to other families. “Every picture that I have, he is always smiling. When people say they’ll give you the shirt off your back, no, literally, he will. I saw this man give a homeless person $50,” she said.
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