1998

WEEKOF __ ~Fe~h~~lf~,~Lxqq~?L- ____

EC player's family sues for $10 million The October, 1996 traffic death of an East Central Community College foot– ball player has led to his family filing a $10 million lawsuit against Newton County and other defendants. James Nathan Russell, a resident of Scott County's Hillsboro Community, was injured on Oct. 9, 1996 when the car in which he was rid ing collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Highway 15 and Country Club Road. He died two days later at Baptist Medical Center in Jackson. The two-vehicle, eight-person crash resulted in several injuries, but Russell was the only fatality. Among the defendants in the case are Warren Wallace Jr., the driver of the vehicle in which Russell was riding, and Lance D. Jones, the driver of the other vehicle. Among the plaintiffs in the case are James E. Russell and Julie A. Russell, Nathan Russell's father and mother. Also listed as plaintiffs are the victim's brother, Clifford l. Russell. and his sis– ter, Stacey Russell Mitchell. Also listed as defendants in the la\.-.·– suit, which presents only one side of the legal issue, are Newton County, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the libaliblty insurance carrier for Newton County and the lia– bility insurance carrier for MDOT. Among the points the lawsuit alleges are: • That MDOT failed to have in place adequate warning to advise motorists they are approaching an intersection, and that MOOT had allowed a "thick stand of trees" to to block the view near the inter~ection; • That Warren Wallace did not have control ani '1q~h-

• ~ fatlt:d to ~top at tht: tratuc :>ign posted at the intersec– tion of Country Club Road and Highway 15; re D

• The county was negligent in fail– ing to maintain Country Club Road in a safe condition and failing to provide signs warning motorists they are of a stop sign and intersection; • Because of a curve in Country ,.. Club Road about 200 feet before the - ,____ _

CARTHAGINIAN______ _ NESHOBADEMOCRAT_________ NEWTON RECORD MERIDIAN STAR ------------

stop sign, drivers traveling west on the road don' t have adequate time to note the stop sign and bring their vehicles to .... C'." ""