July 11, 2010 – Stuart, FL – The ongoing investigation of a deadly car crash back in August 2009 has now named the hosts of the party as those liable for the DUI accident.
According to new reports published in the Sun-Sentinel, 3 Stuart teens, Nick Coady, 18, Christopher Briglio, 18, and Connor Graver, 16, attended a party hosted by their high school’s assistant baseball coach, David Harper, and his roommate, Craig Frick.
After some reluctance to speak about the party to investigators, Coady’s girlfriend Brandie Koors eventually spoke up. She admitted the 3 teens attended the party where Harper and Frick charged each guest $10 for a plastic cup that was their “ticket” to drink from a keg.
They left the party in Coady’s Jeep Cherokee which was estimated to have been going twice the speed limit in a 35MPH zone on Cove Road near US1. The Jeep slammed into a front-end loader at a construction site and all 3 teens were pronounced dead at the scene. Toxicology reports found Coady’s blood-alcohol level to be 0.251%, more than 3 times the legal limit.
Florida Highway Patrol investigation at first found Harper and Frick to have contributed to the deaths and cited statutes for manslaughter and negligence in the investigation report. However, Frick and Harper were only charged with misdemeanor counts of hosting an open house party, arrested last month and bonded out at $250.
The 19th Circuit State Attorney’s Office continued investigation of the case for 3 months following the conclusion of FHP’s investigation. The State Attorney’s Office subpoenaed witnesses that had previously refused to talk to state troopers, which provided additional details about the teens’ whereabouts prior to the fatal crash.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 2008 Florida Crash Statistics, there were 2,978 fatalities as a result of car accidents in Florida.
As a service to the residents of South Florida, our firm will frequently publish blogs about local traffic accidents. We do this to raise awareness about the common types of motor vehicle accidents that occur in South Florida that may result in serious injury or traffic fatalities.
Common accidents include, but are not limited to:
- single-car accidents;
- accidents caused by hazardous road conditions; and
- accidents caused by aggressive driving or distracted drivers.
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