Parents of Walker Davis File Wrongful Death Suit Following Motorcycle Crash
KIRKSVILLE, MO — The parents of 18-year-old Walker Davis, who died in a motorcycle accident in August 2023, filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Friday against multiple parties.
The lawsuit targets the owners of the Kelly Ridge Apartments, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission, and the driver involved in the crash, Elizabeth Lopez. According to court documents, the apartment complex and the commission face two counts of wrongful death for allegedly failing to properly maintain the intersection of West Broadway and the eastern driveway of the apartments.
At the time of the crash, there was no stop sign or traffic light at the intersection. The lawsuit claims that this unsafe condition contributed directly to Davis’s death.
Lopez is also named in the suit, with allegations of negligent driving. Diagrams included in the court documents indicate that Lopez obstructed westbound lanes on Broadway after exiting the apartment driveway. Although she did not collide with Davis, the obstruction led him to lose control of his motorcycle, resulting in a fatal impact with her vehicle.
Court documents state, “Lopez knew or should have known” that her actions posed a significant risk of injury or death.
Lopez was previously sentenced to 120 days in jail for leaving the scene of another accident earlier this year and remains incarcerated at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, according to prison records.
The investigation is ongoing as authorities review the circumstances surrounding the crash.