New York Wrongful Death Lawyer Blog

Another member of a Steuben County Amish community died as a result of the July 19 crash allegedly caused by a drunk driver. Elva J. Hershberger, age 39, succumbed Tuesday afternoon. Her husband died in the same accident.

The facts and circumstances of the crash point to a viable wrongful death suit on behalf of all of the deceased. A drunk driver tried to pass farm machinery on a rural road, in a "no-passing" zone, and collided with a van carrying a group of Amish farmers.

I do not expect that any wrongful death case will result over this tragic, preventable incident. The Amish separate themselves from the rest of the world in a wide variety of ways: cultural, social, technological, and legal.

Filing of a lawsuit is forbidden by the Amish.

News articles indicate that the Amish community will take care of the families of those killed and injured in the senseless incident.

The Yates County area community-at-large joins the Amish community in mourning the death of five persons killed by an alleged drunk driver on July 19, 2011. Four of the dead were in their 40's and one was 60 years of age.
Several of the dead were the heads of households.
The driver, Steven Eldridge, age 42, passed a tractor and other farm equipment in a no passing zone, then struck a van carrying the decedents. He has been charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide and driving while intoxicated.
Hundreds of Amish from communities in distant states came to Benton for the funerals.