BEAUMONT, Texas — The attorney representing the family of a 32-year-old Vidor man killed in a wreck last week is planning to file a lawsuit.
Jonathan Allen Droddy, 32, of Vidor, died at the scene of the wreck in Beaumont just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday, October 25, 2022.
Droddy leaves behind his 4-year-old daughter and her mom.
Jane Leger with Ferguson Law Firm plans to seek compensation for his family.
Although the wreck is still under investigation, a preliminary report obtained by 12News on Tuesday gives more details about what led to it.
It appears from the initial report that no samples for drugs or alcohol were taken from any driver according to the report.
12News is reaching out to Beaumont Police see if tests will be done.
A 2018 International box can, driven by a 31-year-old Beaumont man, was headed north along Interstate 10 in the left, inside lane according to the preliminary report.
12News is not naming the driver of the van, which is owned by B & N Mail Service in Beaumont, because he has not currently been charged in the wreck.
RELATED: 32-year-old Vidor man dies in Tuesday morning wreck involving 18-wheeler on Interstate 10 at Laurel
At about the same time, Droddy was driving a 2016 Ford Escape SUV southbound in the inside lane along the retaining wall.
The commercial van driver later told police that he moved into the center lane and then into the outside lane, but that when he did he went too far and drove off the roadway.
The van driver then overcorrected and crossed back over all northbound lanes and struck the center retaining wall, according to the crash report.
A diagram on the crash report shows that the van hit the retaining wall at about a 45 degree angle.
The van's impact then pushed two sections of the retaining wall into the southbound lanes.
The sections could later be seen sitting nearly perpendicular to their original position.
The van continued into the southbound indie lanes striking Droddy's Ford Escape head-on.
"I would like to know whether or not the driver, if there's any evidence, that he was using his cell phone at the time of the incident," said Leger.
Leger says, she definitely anticipates a lawsuit coming out of this.
"When you lose a young father and husband who is the financial provider for his family, then we seek to replace that loss, through financial compensation.," she said.
The law firm filed a temporary restraining order to preserve all the evidence from the crash.
"For instance, no repairs can be made to the commercial motor vehicle involved until we get a chance to inspect it, no data should be deleted from the phone that the driver had access to until we get a chance to inspect it," Leger said.
12News made multiple attempts to reach the president of B & N Mail Service, but he has not replied.
"If the driver was in the course and scope of his employment at the time when this wreck happened, then his employer has to be legally responsible for his conduct," Leger said.
Leger and her team are waiting for the crash report to be completed before moving forward with a suit.
She says any compensation from a lawsuit suit would go only to Droddy's daughter.
The investigation is being handled by the Beaumont Police Department.
Driver killed in wreck involving 18-wheeler, 2 other vehicles on IH-10 at Laurel in Beaumont
Following the impact the van came to rest on it's side back on the northbound side in the inside lane according to the report. Photographs and video from the scene later showed the van ended up facing southbound in the northbound lanes.
A third driver, a 36-year-old Lumberton man, driving a 2020 GMC Sierra pickup was also headed south bound just a behind Droddy and in the middle lane when he witnessed the wreck.
He attempted to move into the outside lane but his van was struck by the sections of retaining wall as they were pushed out of place by the impact of the commercial van. He was not injured.
While interstate 10 runs from east to west, a nearly three mile stretch, between Gladys Ave and Washington Blvd, turns and runs north to south.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.