Parents suing ‘drag racing’ teens, insurance company for daughter’s death in Iowa City

IOWA CITY — Parents of a 22-year-old Iowa City woman who was killed May 27 in a crash assert in a negligence lawsuit that two teens were “drag racing,” lost control and collided with her vehicle.

Matthew and Kelly Russell, of Waterloo, parents of Jennifer Marie Russell, formerly of Waterloo, filed the lawsuit June 28 in Johnson County District Court against Kesean Ford and Elijah Seals, both 17 and from Johnson County, and American Family Insurance Company.

The suit asserts Ford’s 2008 Saturn Vue wasn’t insured and Seals’ 2012 GMC Acadia was underinsured. The Russells said they have a policy with American Family that contained both uninsured and underinsured coverage.

Ford and Seals haven’t been charged in the crash, which is being investigated by the Iowa State Patrol. Johnson County Attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith said Wednesday it’s still under investigation.

According to the suit, Ford and Seals were drag racing — driving side by side — about 10:54 p.m. May 27 on E. Court Street, with Ford in the eastbound lane and Seals in the westbound lane. Both were driving at a “high rate of speed.”

Ford and Seals both failed to yield or stop at the four-way intersection with Seventh Avenue and collided with each other, “either simultaneously or nearly simultaneously” as they both struck the vehicle of Jennifer Russell, who was “lawfully” in the intersection, the suit asserts.

Jennifer Russell died as a result of the crash.

The suit contends Ford and Seals were each negligent and at fault in the operation of their vehicles, including but not limited to drag racing, speeding, failing to yield or stop at the intersection, failing to keep a “proper lookout,” driving on the wrong side of the road and failing to maintain control of their vehicles.

Both of the teens’ “negligence and fault was a factual and legal cause of the untimely and wrongful death” of Jennifer Russell, according to the suit.

Matthew and Kelly Russell are entitled to damages and benefits from the insurance policy, based on an amount of damages to be determined by a jury, the suit asserts.

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