Father of University of Georgia Football Player Killed in Street Racing Accident Files $40M Lawsuit
The father of a University of Georgia football player has filed a lawsuit against the University's Athletic Association along with others after his son died during a street racing car accident near the University in January.
University of Georgia football player Devin Willock, 20, was a passenger in an SUV that was allegedly racing with another vehicle driven by Jalen Carter, 24, near university grounds on January 15. Carter was a former teammate of Willock and would later go on to be a first-round NFL draft pick.
Willock was a passenger in an SUV being driven by Chandler LeCroy, a football team staff member. The SUV careened off the road and struck two power poles and several trees, killing Willock and LeCroy. Carter and LeCroy are two of several defendants named in the lawsuit.
Two other passengers were injured in the car accident including a 26-year-old female passenger who suffered significant injuries and a 21-year-old who suffered minor injuries. Both passengers were associated with the football program, but neither has been identified.
Dave Willock Sr., filed the lawsuit on behalf of his son in Gwinnett County, Georgia, last week. He details that the University's Athletic Association “negligently hired, supervised, trained, and retained LeCroy despite their direct, actual knowledge of her poor driving habits including prior notice of her excessively speeding in vehicles.”
The SUV that was driven by LeCroy was one of several vehicles that were leased by the athletic department and were intended specifically for the use of recruiting activities. Personal use of the vehicles was “strictly prohibited” as described by the University’s Athletic Association.
Additionally, the lawsuit accuses Carter of unlawfully leaving the scene of the fatal car accident and not returning until he was convinced to do so by an athletic association employee as urged by law enforcement.
The lawsuit accuses LeCroy and Carter of showing “reckless, wilful, wanton, and consciously indifferent conduct to the consequences in the collision resulting in the death of Devin Willock.”
Additionally, the police investigation revealed that alcohol may have played a factor as LeCroy had a blood alcohol content of .197, more than twice the legal limit in Georgia during the time of the crash. Reports indicate that LeCroy was likely served alcohol at a strip club he and others frequented before the crash. The strip club is also named as a defendant in the lawsuit and faces accusations of serving alcohol to some of the individuals involved in the crash. Carter was not one of the individuals at the strip club and instead met LeCroy and others at a nearby Waffle House.
The lawsuit accuses both LeCroy and Carter of “mutually stimulat each other to exceed the posted speed limit while racing en route to the Waffle House.”
Carter eventually surrendered to authorities in March, pleading no contest to charges of racing and reckless driving. Carter was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine, and 50 hours of community service. He would go on to be selected as the ninth pick in the Philadelphia Eagles’ NFL Draft.
The lawsuit is seeking $40 million in damages from the named defendants, including $10 million from Carter.
The University’s Athletic Association released a statement pushing back against the lawsuit, explaining, “The attorneys who filed the Complaint have refused to provide any factual basis for their claims against the Athletic Association, and we believe the evidence will prove them to be without merit. We intend to strongly dispute these baseless allegations in Court.”
