The Weather Channel airs a program called “Storm Wranglers” with which Virginia residents may be familiar. The two stars of that show were in a crash back in March of 2017 as they were chasing a tornado in Texas. What allegedly happened was that they ran a stop sign and collided with a jeep that was driving away from the tornado. The storm-chasing duo and the driver of the jeep, a 25-year-old storm spotter, died upon impact.
The chase was being streamed live on the network’s Facebook page right up until the accident, when the broadcast ended. The storm-chasing pair had long been known for engaging in reckless behavior behind the wheel, and the show would often feature them speeding, driving down the wrong side of the street, going off-road and into ditches and traveling through hail storms.
The mother of the 25-year-old victim has served the Weather Channel with a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming that the network encouraged this reckless behavior to make its show more exciting to viewers and that this negligence was to blame for the fatal accident. In-studio representatives would even encourage the duo during the live streams themselves.
The plaintiff is seeking $125 million in damages. The network has expressed its condolences for all three victims but declines to comment on pending litigation.
Even if the accident did not result in fatalities, the network could still conceivably be found guilty of negligence. However, filing a claim against an organization like a TV network is not something normally done on one’s own. A lawyer may come in handy, especially if he or she hires investigators and other third parties to obtain proof against the defendant. Victims may have their attorney negotiate for a settlement, if possible, and litigate as a last resort.
Source: Fox News, ” Weather Channel sued for $125M over death of man killed in ‘horrific’ Texas crash with storm chasers,” Katherine Lam, March 28, 2019