“The family of John R. Short, Sr. whose tractor trailer was struck and caused to plunge off the Chesapeake Bay Bridge into the waters of the Bay where he drowned has filed a $7-million lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Queen Anne’s County against Candy Lynn Baldwin, the 19 year old underage drinker who caused the accident on August 10, 2008. In doing so the family seeks to establish the role that Candy Baldwin’s drinking and driving the night before and the morning of the crash played in the death of their beloved husband and father.

No charges for manslaughter or homicide based on alcohol impairment were filed against Baldwin because no breath or blood test legally admissible for criminal evidentiary purposes was requested until six hours after the crash. At that time, the result showed Candy Baldwin had consumed alcohol but not enough to show impairment at the time of the test. She was cited for underage drinking, which is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 in Maryland.

Keith S. Franz, lead counsel for the Short family says “”justice has not been served in this case. Candy Baldwin mailed in $470 for traffic tickets she received and is still permitted to drive. She never had to appear in court to face any criminal charges or be confronted about her activities that led to John Short’s death. The Short family never had an opportunity to express to the court the severe impact that John’s death has caused their family. This family deserves answers and accountability and with this civil suit that is what they will now get.””

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