FARMINGTON — Attorneys representing the estate of Samantha Jo Wright recently filed a lawsuit in Franklin County Superior Court against the driver and the company who employed him and provided the vehicle involved in the January accident that claimed her life.
Andrew H. Hodgins, Wright’s husband, personal representative of her estate and beneficiary, and their daughter, Penelope Q. Wright Hodgins, seek damages from defendants Craig J. Gage of Saco and National Distributors Inc. of South Portland in the case filed March 31.
Wright, who was 38 and from Kingfield, was driving north on Route 27 in New Vineyard at approximately 2 p.m. on Jan. 6 when a van driven south by Gage, 23, crossed over into the opposite lane and collided with Wright’s Dodge Caravan. Gage’s vehicle was owned by National Distributors.
Wright was alone and died at the scene.
The lawsuit claims the collision was caused by negligence on Gage’s part, which included failing to drive at a reasonable speed for road conditions, keeping his vehicle within his lane, failing “to obey the rules of the road” and “to generally adhere to appropriate standards of care.”
Hodgins is seeking damages resulting from Gage’s negligence, including a loss of earning capacity, additional child care costs, funeral expenses, a loss of comfort and the companionship of the deceased “who was a wife and mother, including damages for emotional distress,” according to the court document.
Gage was acting on behalf of his employer, National Distributors Inc., which provided him with the van he was driving at the time of the accident. The lawsuit, filed by Hodgins’ attorneys Paul Sumberg and Kenneth Lexier of Wright and Mills of Skowhegan, claims National Distributors “is vicariously liable, jointly and severally, for the negligence of Defendant Gage,” according to the court document.
Hodgins seeks an amount, including interests and costs, to be determined by the court.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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