The parents of a Japanese man killed in a van crash that claimed the lives of three tourists and injured 11 others last summer, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the van’s driver and several travel companies. In the lawsuit filed in state court, Hideo and Akemi Hayase allege that an inexperienced driver tried to mask fatigue with energy drinks and caffeine gum before falling asleep and causing the crash near Cedar City on August 9^th, that killed 20-year-old Hiroki Hayase.

Hideo and Akemi Hayase and their 14-year-old daughter, Mariko, were seriously injured in the crash. They were in a tour van on its way to Bryce Canyon National Park when it rolled on an interstate highway. The lawsuit seeks damages against the driver, Yasushi Mikuni, and two Utah companies, Canyon Transportation Inc. and Western Leisure Inc., for hiring a driver with “less than two months experience” and for not having the requisite commercial liability insurance. The suit also names a Japanese travel agency as a Defendant for failing to make sure the Utah companies were properly insured.

Source: sltrib.com