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On Friday, September 18, 2015 Attorney Randall Spivey of Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. filed a civil action on behalf of the widow of Ronald Gravel, the victim of the July 20th Cape Coral DUI Pool Hall traffic crash. Ronald, 60, died at Lee Memorial Hospital after sustaining life-threatening injuries when William Gulliver drove his Ford F-250 through the front windows of Diamond Billiards Sportsbar & Grill in Cape Coral.

Under Florida's Wrongful Death Act, family members of those who are lost in an accident are provided with special protections. These protections allow the surviving family to make legal claims for monetary damages. Florida law defines the family members who may recover damages in a wrongful death case as the deceased person's spouse, children, parents, and any blood relative or adoptive sibling who is "partly or wholly dependent on the decedent for support or services."

According to Attorney Spivey, "Liz Gravel, the widow of Ronald Gravel, is experiencing extreme mental anguish caused by Ronald's sudden and tragic death. We are seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, compensation for wage loss, medical expenses and funeral expenses. Ronald was a loving father and husband. The family is still in shock, sorrow and disbelief that their father and husband can be tragically ripped away from them by a drunk driver."

The driver who caused the Cape Coral accident, William Gulliver, had a blood alcohol content (BAC), according to the police report, registered at 0.402, more than five times the state's legal limit at the time of the crash.

The family of Ronald Gravel released the following statement saying:

"Words cannot even begin to describe the ache we feel every day knowing that Ron was so recklessly taken from us and is not ever coming home. We are still in shock and disbelief that something like this has happened to such an amazing, honorable and loved man."

The Gravel family plans to work with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and other groups in an effort to stop this needless type of vehicle accident.

MADD launched "Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving" in 2006 in response to over 13,000 people who are killed each year by drunk drivers. The campaign focuses on the following three important steps everyone can take today to stop drunk driving tomorrow:

• Support our heroes.  Support high-visibility law enforcement to catch drunk drivers and discourage others from driving drunk.
• Sober to start. Require ignition interlock devices, or in-car breathalyzers, for all drunk drivers, to prove they are sober before their cars will start.
• Secure the future. Support the development of technology to determine automatically whether or not the driver is above the legal limit of .08 and failing to operate if the driver is drunk.

Visitors to the MADD website may take the MADD pledge to eliminate drunk driving click here. 

Prior to the crash, William Gulliver's truck was parked facing the building in the Diamond Billiards parking lot. Officials at the scene said that apparently Mr. Gulliver entered the truck and after several minutes, drove forward into the windows of the restaurant. His truck pinned Ronald Gravel and another patron against the bar. Ronald had worked at Diamonds Billiards as the kitchen manager for about six years.

"Justice must be served and a lesson must be learned by this. Drinking and driving kills people and is 100 percent preventable," said a family member.

"If you or a loved one has been injured as the result of a DUI vehicle accident, contact the expert team at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.," said Attorney Randall Spivey.

Hurt By Drunk Driver Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.