The family of a 5-year-old Birmingham kindergartener who was killed in a hit-and-run accident filed a wrongful death suit Thursday against the suspect in the case and his employer.
Kamerynn Young, 5, died April 1 after she was allegedly killed by Dustin Cody Martin, whom police say was driving erratically on I-59/20 and fled as police pursued him in Birmingham. Martin allegedly evaded officers when his Ford F-150 pickup truck struck another vehicle Kamerynn was riding in with her family at Springville Road and Roebuck Parkway. Martin then left the scene and was apprehended hours later in North Birmingham.
“Kamerynn loved to sing, dance and go to church”, said Courtney G. French, the attorney representing Kamerynn’s mother, Breana Young, who filed the wrongful death suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court.“Unfortunately, the Young family will no longer experience the joy of hearing her laugh and seeing her smile."
The lawsuit claims Martin, 28, of Gardendale, “negligently and/or wantonly collided into the rear of the vehicle occupied by" Kamerynn. The kindergartener at Sun Valley Elementary School in Birmingham also had a sister that was injured in the wreck who was treated and released from Children’s Hospital.
The suit accuses Martin and his employer, Georgia-based Procomm Advanced Quality Solutions, which owns the pickup truck Martin was driving, of several counts of negligence and wantonness.
A woman who answered the phone at Procomm Advanced Quality Solutions declined to comment on the wrongful death lawsuit.
The lawsuit does not specify monetary damages, leaving the amount up to a jury.
“There’s no amount of money that can bring back their 5-year-old daughter, which if they had their prayers answered they would want more than anything else,” French said of Kamerynn’s family.
Aside from the civil case, Martin also has pending criminal charges, including reckless murder and first-degree assault.
Kamerynn was a source of joy for her family, her aunt earlier told AL.com.
“She made you smile any time you were with her,’’ said Tellisa Young. “This is just senseless.”