MANKATO – The defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by the family of a man struck and killed by a car last September in a downtown Mankato parking lot say “no one is liable” for what they call a “tragic incident.”
The family of Thanh Tri Vu filed their lawsuit earlier this month against the driver, 20-year-old Aaron Whiteaker and the owners of the car, 47-year-old Jody Decker and 45-year-old Ronald Decker.
The defendants answer to the civil lawsuit recently filed in Blue Earth County Court say claims against Ronald Decker should be dismissed because he doesn’t hold title to the car.
The defendants allege that Vu was part of a group of men unlawfully engages in assaulting persons, including Whiteaker, in the parking lot. They say Vu was stuck as he was approaching the car with a tree branch and was struck when Whiteaker swerved to avoid another person approaching from the other side. They allege the accident was cause “by negligence or fault of Vu” and was the result of “a confluence of events.”
The family of Thanh Tri Vu filed their lawsuit earlier this month against the driver, 20-year-old Aaron Whiteaker and the owners of the car, 47-year-old Jody Decker and 45-year-old Ronald Decker.
The defendants answer to the civil lawsuit recently filed in Blue Earth County Court say claims against Ronald Decker should be dismissed because he doesn’t hold title to the car.
The defendants allege that Vu was part of a group of men unlawfully engages in assaulting persons, including Whiteaker, in the parking lot. They say Vu was stuck as he was approaching the car with a tree branch and was struck when Whiteaker swerved to avoid another person approaching from the other side. They allege the accident was cause “by negligence or fault of Vu” and was the result of “a confluence of events.”
The family of Vu are seeking in excess of $50,000.