Parents of 18-Year-Old Killed in Motorcycle Crash File Wrongful Death Lawsuit
COLUMBIA, MO — The parents of Walker Davis, 18, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Friday related to a motorcycle crash that resulted in his death in August 2023.
The lawsuit targets the owners of the Kelly Ridge Apartments, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and Elizabeth Lopez, the driver involved in the incident, according to court documents. The claims allege negligence in maintaining the intersection at West Broadway and the eastern driveway of the apartments, where no stop signs or traffic signals were present at the time of the crash.
Court documents describe the intersection as “a dangerous condition” that allegedly led to Davis’s death. Diagrams included in the filings indicate that Lopez obstructed westbound traffic on Broadway after exiting the driveway, forcing Davis to lose control of his motorcycle. Though he did not initially collide with Lopez’s vehicle, he fell and subsequently struck her car, resulting in fatal injuries.
The lawsuit states that Lopez’s actions constituted negligence, asserting she “knew or should have known” that her conduct posed a significant risk of injury. Lopez was previously sentenced to 120 days in jail in March for leaving the scene of a separate crash and is currently incarcerated at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia.
The case is ongoing as authorities continue to investigate the specifics surrounding the incident.