Two women, Tadrint and Micah Washington, who claim they were injured in Charlottesville, Virginia, when James Alex Fields Jr. drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters, have sued Fields and white nationalists for $3 million.
In a lawsuit filed in a state circuit court, sisters Tadrint, 27, and Micah, 20, claimed they were injured on Saturday when Fields hit their vehicle from behind after driving his Dodge Challenger into a crowd of protesters.
According to the lawsuit, the Washington sisters suffered injuries to their heads and body extremities.
The sisters insisted they were not part of the crowd of counterprotesters and that they were not participating in protests. They were only driving home through the crowded street on August 12 and had stopped their vehicle for a moment to allow pedestrians to cross when Fields’ car slammed into theirs from behind. The force of the impact led to a chain of collisions that caused the death of Heather Heyer. Nineteen people also suffered injuries in the incident.
Heather Heyer, 32, was reportedly walking across the street when she was hit and killed. The Washington sisters were among the 19 people injured.
The women are suing Fields, the organizers of the “Unite the Right Rally,” several white nationalist and neo-Nazi groups, and their leaders, for assault, battery, civil conspiracy and negligence. They are claiming $3 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages, according to CNN .
They’re suing for $3 million https://t.co/p7pZx881Vd
— John Ketchum (@Ketchcast) August 16, 2017
The lawsuit identifies 28 groups and individuals as defendants, including Jason Kessler, a resident of Charlottesville who organized the rally. Others include Richard Spencer, a national leader of the so-called alt-right movement, and David Duke.
2 injured in Charlottesville crash sue ‘Unite the Right’ for $3 million https://t.co/7eDm3cp8Y4 pic.twitter.com/0AsUAmA3lI
— RT America (@RT_America) August 16, 2017
The women claimed they were suing organizers of “Unite the Right Rally,” white nationalist groups and their leaders because they inspired Fields to carry out the attack. The lawsuit describes the white nationalist groups and their leaders as “racist” and “violent.”
Police arrested 20-year-old James Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, after they found his damaged car. He is currently being held without bail. He has been charged with second-degree murder, malicious wounding and failure to stop in an accident that resulted in death, according to CNN .
[Featured Image by Steve Helber/AP Images]
