Since we covered the sad, untimely death of ex-Red Josh Hancock, I felt we should also cover this.
The father of Josh Hancock filed suit Thursday, claiming a restaurant provided drinks to the St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher even though he was intoxicated prior to the crash that killed him.
The suit, filed in St. Louis Circuit Court by Dean Hancock of Tupelo, Miss., does not specify damages. Mike Shannon’s Restaurant, owned by the longtime Cardinals broadcaster who starred on three World Series teams in the 1960s, is a defendant in the case along with Shannon’s daughter, Patricia Shannon Van Matre, the restaurant manager.
Other defendants include Eddie’s Towing, the company whose flatbed tow truck was struck by Hancock’s sport utility vehicle in the early hours of April 29; tow truck driver Jacob Edward Hargrove; and Justin Tolar, the driver whose stalled car on Interstate 64 was being assisted by Hargrove.
The death of Josh Hancock was a tragedy. I feel for his father’s pain. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose your child. But the fact that he is trying to cash in on it is appalling to me.
It is another example of the seemingly-widespread belief in today’s society that when something bad happens, it’s always someone else’s fault and since it happened to me, I should be given the opportunity to spin the wheel and win a lot of money. It’s like his father feels it’s his turn to cash in, no matter what happened, no matter who is truly at fault.
No one forced Josh Hancock to drink that night. No one forced him to get behind the wheel of his truck, talk on his cell phone, or probably smoke pot (as it was found in his truck).
Where is Josh Hancock’s personal responsibility for what happened? Should someone be able to sue his family because his parents apparently didn’t teach him the importance of personal responsibility?
Has Mr. Hancock considered the fact that more people could have died that night? That his son could have killed the tow truck driver, who was just out doing his job when his truck was hit by Hancock? Or he could have killed the driver of the car being towed?
No, it appears to me that Mr. Hancock sees the chance to sue someone who he believes has deep pockets and that will pay him off, whether they were to blame or not.
And you know what?
He might be right, sometimes insurance companies do that…it’s often cheaper than going to court. But in the long run, we all end up footing the bill when they don’t fight these type of suits in higher costs for things we buy and higher insurance rates for ourselves.
One of the biggest changes in our country in the last 50 years, in my opinion, is the loss of the feeling of personal responsibility. Everyone is always looking to blame someone else…and then they can spin that wheel and play for the really big money.