An appeal filed in the courts over a Rutherford County trial court decision to dismiss a claim of liability against the owner of a vehicle that was involved in a fatal accident has been overturned by the court of appeals in Nashville.

In March of 2015, a vehicle driven by Jeremy Baird struck and killed 35 year old Angela Gray on Highway 109 off of Interstate 840. The vehicle driven by Baird was owned by his father and said to be used for personal driving and in day to day business operations for "Exposure Advertising."

After a wrongful death suit was filed against the Bairds, the Rutherford County Circuit Court ruled that Baird was off of work at the time and attending to personal business when the fatal accident occurred. The appeals court wrote, "It is undisputed that the son's employment necessitated his travel on the road where the collision occurred, and whether the son had deviated from the defendant's business prior to the collision is a material fact that is in dispute."

On Tuesday (May 19, 2020), the appeals court out of Nashville reversed the trial court's grant of summary judgment and the case will move forward for further proceedings.

Source:

Court No. M2019-01056-COA-R3-CV