The Wrongful Death Case Against Henry Ruggs

An Analysis by Steven Soliman of The Soliman Firm, PLC

 

Henry Ruggs Car Accident

This week, the nation was reminded once again of the serious dangers and consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In the early morning hours of November 2, 2021, at approximately 3:39 a.m., former Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs crashed his Chevrolet Corvette head-on into the Toyota Rav 4 of 23-year-old Tina Tintor. The collision left Tintor’s car in flames, as she and her dog were deceased inside of the burning car. It was later revealed that Ruggs was driving with a blood-alcohol level of twice Nevada’s legal limit, and had reached a speed of 156 miles per hour immediately before losing control of the vehicle and crashing into Tintor’s car.

What charges can be pressed against Henry Ruggs?

While Ruggs, only 22 years old, will likely be facing multiple felony charges for his actions that morning, the family of Tintor will also have the right to bring civil claims against Ruggs for financial compensation. More specifically, since Tintor was killed as a result of Ruggs’ drunk and reckless driving, her heirs will have a claim against him for wrongful death.

At this point, it’s unclear who Tintor’s heirs are, as it’s unknown whether or not she had children. If she did have children, her children will be her rightful heirs and the only individuals who can bring a wrongful death case against Ruggs. However, if she did not have any children, the living heirs will be her parents. Learn more about who can file a wrongful death claim.

Are the Raiders Franchise or Top Golf liable for Rugg’s actions?

Additionally, the heirs of Tina Tintor may be able to pursue a claim against other entities as well if certain things can be proven. For example, earlier reports stated that Ruggs was at a Raiders sponsored event at Top Golf prior to the crash, where he consumed up to 18 shots of liquor. Since then, reports claim that Ruggs was at Top Golf with friends and family, and the outing was not affiliated with the Raiders franchise. Though time will tell, if attorneys for Tintor’s heirs can establish that Ruggs was in fact at an event that was held or sponsored by the Raiders and that they failed to: 1) stop him from excessive drinking knowing he was going to get into his own car at the end of the night; and/or 2) require him to take a taxi after watching him drink excessively at the event, it may not be difficult to place some fault on the Raiders franchise.

However, if the Raiders did not sponsor or have any knowledge of Ruggs’ excessive drinking at Top Golf, the same analysis can help to determine whether any blame should be placed on Top Golf itself. For example, if Ruggs’ car was parked with the valet at Top Golf, and if he was visibly under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time that he left the establishment, it can be argued that Top Golf should have done more to protect both Ruggs and members of the public by requiring him to take a taxi and refusing to allow him to get behind the wheel. Officers at the scene of the accident have stated that Ruggs was visibly intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Whichever way this ends up, one thing is for sure: driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is extremely dangerous and can very easily lead to serious injury or death. In this case, a young lady with her entire life ahead of her was violently killed while another successful young man will likely spend the majority of his life behind bars. Please drink responsibly. A $20 taxi ride could have prevented this tragedy.