Three members of an Augusta County family have been involved in a long drawn out legal struggle for the past year after one of them was involved in an accident that lead to the death of a teenager in 2007. Jason, Gloria and Emil Steidel have spent most of 2008 in and out of courtrooms. After battling criminal charges for the alleged drunk- driving fatality, they now face a civil suit for which they may have to pay more than half a million in damages.
Jason Steidel was involved in an accident that lead to the death of Timothy Ray Moran. When state police arrived at the site, there was no one in the vehicle but they later identified Steidel as the driver. Now Ray Moran’s father is filing a suit against Steidel claiming he was under the influence and driving very fast. The suit is seeking funeral expenses and damages for sorrow and mental anguish which they have estimated to be around $525,000.
Steidel’s parents insisted their son wasn’t driving that night and even produced evidence, in the form of a written statement from another teenager who said Steidel was in the backseat at the time of the accident, to prove their claim. This claim was later proven to be false and Steidel’s parents were charged with inducing another to commit perjury.
Like their son, both of them face upto ten years in prison for their crime.
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