BELLE GLADE, Fla. — A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in the August 2024 crash near Belle Glade that killed nine family members — including six children.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by the family members' estates and the lone survivor of the crash, Jorden Hall.
It focuses on the safety of Hatton Highway, where the crash occurred on the night of Aug. 5, 2024. The lawsuit alleges that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had requested to use Hatton Highway as a detour in August 2022, which was approved by Palm Beach County. Both FDOT and the county are named in the suit.
The suit alleges that on the night of the crash, a vehicle with 10 family members was following a marked detour onto Hatton Highway due to construction on State Road 700. The family, in the area for vacation, was on its way to Palm Beach International Airport to return their rental car, a 2023 Ford Explorer SUV.
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report from September 2024 confirmed that the SUV, owned by Payless Car Rental, was driving westbound on Hatton Highway when the driver approached a 90-degree left curve and departed the roadway. The car impacted a metal beam guardrail and entered the canal, coming to a rest on its roof and becoming partially submerged.
The suit further alleges that a critical sign warning drivers of a 90-degree turn had been missing from the area for more than a year, and that it was later discovered under vegetation behind the crash site.
The suit states: "Unlike SR-700, Hatton Highway is a poorly maintained rural roadway with sharp compound curves, missing warning signs, narrow shoulders, missing roadway striping, visual obstructions, canals adjacent to the roadway, and a documented history of crashes."
It goes deeper into the history of crashes as well, claiming that prior to the August 2024 accident, there had been 26 crashes on Hatton Highway within a mile of this one, and 19 at this exact curve. WPTV spoke with residents who live in the area after the crash, who said the highway is known to be unsafe.
As for the visual obstructions, the suit names New Hope Sugar Company and U.S. Sugar, and claims New Hope owned an unpermitted dirt road that left a gap in the guardrail at the crash site. It also alleges that overgrown crops owned by New Hope obstructed the view of the driver.
The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial.
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