CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – The family of a suburban mother killed in a crash last December has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against a Countryside pub, alleging the bar overserved the driver responsible and even provided him with an alcoholic “to-go” drink before the collision.
Clifford Law Offices filed suit Monday against Rafferty’s Irish Pub and Finn Curran of Hodgkins in the death of Tanya Navarro.
Attorneys say 58-year-old Navarro was sitting in a disabled car along the 7200 block of La Grange Road in Hodgkins on Dec. 13, 2024, when Curran slammed into her vehicle at an estimated 80 to 90 miles per hour. Navarro and her dog were killed in the crash.
According to the complaint, Curran later admitted he left Rafferty’s intoxicated – more than twice the legal limit – and was given a vodka and Red Bull “to-go” drink by staff before driving away. Attorneys argue the bar knowingly served an impaired patron and violated Illinois’ Dram Shop Act.
“Mr. Curran took it upon himself to get behind the wheel when he was twice the legal limit,” said attorney Joe Murphy of Clifford Law Offices. “Equally as egregious is the bar giving him a drink to-go. The bar chose profits over the safety of the public.”
Navarro’s daughters, Alyza Lopez and Aliyah Phillips, are seeking damages for wrongful death and survival claims.
The lawsuit also highlights Illinois’ $107,000 cap on dram shop liability, which state lawmakers say may be too low to deter overserving. State Sen. Willie Preston (D-Chicago) said Monday he plans to revisit the cap in the upcoming legislative session.
“This tragedy was preventable,” Lopez said, calling the loss especially painful as the family approaches their first Thanksgiving without their mother.
Curran is separately charged with felony DUI causing death. His criminal case is pending.
WBBM Newsradio has reached out to Rafferty’s Irish Pub for comment.