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The family of a Sevier County sheriff's sergeant killed in a collision on an icy bridge in 2010 has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the drivers involved in the crash and the Utah Department of Transportation.
Sgt. Franco Aguilar was investigating a single-car crash on Interstate 70 on April 29, 2010, when another car crashed into Aguilar and the stopped vehicle. Aguilar was "catapulted" over the side of the Fish Creek Bridge, falling 250 feet to his death, according to the lawsuit filed this week in 3rd District Court.
The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims the negligence of the people involved caused Aguilar's death. The lawsuit names the driver of the car Aguilar had stopped to help and the man who allowed her to use the car. It also names Corbin Mander who was speeding and lost control on the icy road before hitting Aguilar.
Mander, now 20, was sentenced in June to 30 days in jail for driving too fast for the conditions and failing to slow down as he approached an emergency vehicle. As part of his sentence, Mander was ordered to give 30 presentations in Utah high schools about the crash and driving safety.
"I'm sorry this ever occurred," Mander said in court last year. "I look forward to [the] presentations and hopefully save the life of another because of this."
Attempts to reach Mander on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The lawsuit also names the Utah Department of Transportation, claiming the agency failed to properly maintain the Fish Creek Bridge.
"It was a tragic incident, and our hearts go out to the family," UDOT spokesman Nate McDonald said Wednesday. "In regards to the actual claim, it's something that we've turned over to our insurance to look at and see if there is an appropriate action. That's where we are right now."