Mother of Delray officer killed in Key West DUI crash files lawsuit
The mother of a Delray Beach police officer killed last year in a Key West crash has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a woman facing a DUI manslaughter charge in the case.
Lacy Morris, of Summerland Key, is accused of driving drunk on April 8, 2017, when authorities say she drove a 2006 Nissan Altima into the path of a Yamaha scooter being steered by Christine Braswell, a 12-year veteran of the Delray Beach Police Department.
Braswell died of bluntforce injuries after being flown to a hospital.
Bernenda Marc, also a Delray Beach police officer, was a passenger on the scooter and sustained serious injuries. The two women were offduty and on vacation.
Barbara Braswell, the executor of her daughter’s estate, filed the lawsuit Aug. 13. The suit also names Kerby D. Brown, the owner of the Nissan Altima, as a defendant. Brown was in the vehicle and allowed Morris to drive at the time of the crash.
Besides DUI manslaughter, Morris also faces charges of DUI with serious bodily injury, DUI with property damage and possession of marijuana.
A trial date has not been set, but Evan Hoffman, Morris’ attorney, said he expects one will be scheduled soon.
The lawsuit against Morris and Brown seeks damages of at least $15,000 and was filed in Key West.
Barbara Braswell has “experienced mental pain and suffering in the past and will continue to suffer such pain in the future,” according to court documents.
Morris, 32, told Key West police she was going to buy chicken at the time of the crash. She said she saw the scooter that Braswell and Marc were riding, and that was coming at what she believed was a fast rate of speed, but she thought she could make a right turn into their lane ahead of the scooter.