A jury has awarded Sidney Reeves $225,000 from three taverns that served beer to a drunken driver who struck him and a jogging companion, killing her and breaking both his legs.
Reeves' companion, Marcella Montgomery, 17, died and he suffered compound fractures in the collision on Sept. 22, 1987.The eight-member jury deliberated for more than two hours Friday before finding that The Keg, the Lighthouse and Peg's Lew Monico Bar served beer to the car's driver, Bret A. Trease, North Ogden, and a friend, Jeff L. Edwards, Washington Terrace, despite their obvious intoxication.
An alcohol expert testified the men had consumed 47 12-ounce beers between them before the accident.
The jury ordered the bars to pay $75,000 each to Reeves, but the compensation will have to be confirmed at a hearing Oct. 31.
The maximum penalty for the offense is $100,000, and the court will decide at the hearing whether the cap can be used for three separate bars.
The Keg is bankrupt and was not represented at the four-day trial.
Reeves, who said he wasn't surprised by the verdict, described the trial as "pretty intense . . . it was hectic for my family." He said his immediate plans are to return to Weber State College, where he is majoring in biology.