Parents of teen killed in crash sue concert promoter
The parents of a Connecticut teen killed in a June crash have filed a lawsuit against concert promoter Live Nation for allowing “tailgating” outside a Hartford event where the alleged drunken driver charged in the incident was denied entry because he was so intoxicated, court documents show.
Luke Roux was killed on June 25 after the other driver, Jacob Coffey, 21, ran a red light and caused the crash on Colts Highway, Farmington police said. Roux, 17, a recent graduate of Farmington High School, was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Coffey’s blood alcohol content that night was 0.191 — more than twice the legal limit, according to the lawsuit filed this week by the teen’s parents, Stephen and Carri Roux.
The suit, filed Monday in state Superior Court in Hartford, names Coffey, Live Nation Inc. and Contemporary Services Corporation as defendants. It also names Coffey’s mother as a defendant, whose car was driven the night of the incident with her permission, the lawsuit stated.
The suit said Coffey went to the Dierks Bentley “Beers on Me” concert at the Xfinity Theatre in Hartford that night, but was denied entry by staff due to his level of intoxication. The suit claims staff at the venue allowed patrons, including Coffey, to “loiter” and drink in the parking lots prior to the show.
After being denied entry, according to the suit, Coffey became “combative” with staff before he “got into a motor vehicle and drove off the premises.”
The Roux family alleges Live Nation and Contemporary Services Corporation, the company in charge of security and crowd control at the event, failed to prevent excessive drinking among patrons “tailgating” in the parking lot, and failed to plan or have enough security to prevent people from driving while intoxicated.
The lawsuit also alleges the concert organizers failed to notify police — including officers who were on the premises — that “Mr. Coffey was highly intoxicated and intending to operate a motor vehicle.”
The complaint states the family is seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
In a statement, a Live Nation spokesperson for Xfinity Theatre confirmed Coffey was denied entry into the venue the night of the crash “due to intoxication,” but said, “there were no official tailgating events at the venue prior to the show.”
“We have robust security procedures in place including having Hartford Police presence in our parking lots,” the statement continued. “We want our fans to enjoy live entertainment and we also encourage all fans to enjoy shows responsibly and to treat each other with courtesy and respect.”
Farmington police arrested Coffey in August, charging him with first-degree manslaughter, driving under the influence, reckless driving and other motor vehicle offenses in connection with the crash. Coffey, a Farmington resident who is free on $250,000 bond, has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case, which remains ongoing in Hartford court.