The family of a man who died in a boating accident on Carters Creek August 11, filed a $10.35 million lawsuit yesterday in Richmond Circuit Court, according to a report in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The parents of Graham McCormick named John Randolph “Rand” Hooper, 31, of Richmond, as the first defendant. They allege that Hooper was drunk and driving his parent’s boat at a high rate of speed on the dark creek when it crashed, ejecting a seriously wounded McCormick into the creek. The lawsuit claims Hooper then left the scene without looking for McCormick and didn’t report the accident until the next morning.
The Times Dispatch reported that Hooper’s parents, Gary L. and Lucy W. Hooper were also named as defendants in the civil action brought by J. Burke and Sallie T. Graham, administrators of their son’s estate.
The lawsuit accuses the elder Hoopers, who were in South Africa at the time, of helping their son cover up the crash by using their phones remotely and attempted to erase any surveillance video at their Irvington home.
For the full story, check the November 16 edition of the Rappahannock Record.