Couple sues over daughter’s 2015 death

WESTPALM BEACH — Roughly 1½ years after they lost their 16-year- old daughter in a motor-scooter crash in suburban West Palm Beach, Wellington parents David and Cassandra Pomerance are suing the estate of the 22-yearold man who was driving the scooter and a motorist who was also involved in the March 2015 accident.

In the lawsuit filed last week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the Pomerances claim their daughter would be alive today if Tyler Cohen hadn’t been high on marijuana when he drove the scooter, with Naomi Pomerance on the back, into traffic on Gun Club Road, west of Military Trail. They also claim Angela Chaderton, who was driving a car that struck Pomerance and Cohen when they were thrown off the motorcycle, was negligent.

Cohen died in the Palm Beach County jail in April at age 23 while awaiting trial on charges of DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide, possession of marijuana and other charges in connection with Pomerance’s death. The cause of his death wasn’t available.

In hopes of protecting others from their daughter’s fate, her parents last year persuaded Florida Rep. Dave Kerner, D-Lake Worth, to propose a bill that would allow law enforcement to charge people with additional crimes if they were under the influence of marijuana when involved in a crash in which someone was seriously hurt. The measure, which wasn’t passed, was to be named the Naomi Pomerance Victim Safety Act. Her parents also urged people who ride scooters to wear helmets and other protective gear.

They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.