$5.7M Awarded to Kansas Crash Victims’ Family

A southeast Kansas man whose wife and daughter were killed when a fleeing driver hit their car has been awarded $5.7 million in damages.

The Joplin Globe reported that assistant Pittsburg State University football coach John Kemp filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Kaston Hudgins in Cherokee County District Court.

A judge decided that Hudgins alone was responsible for the July 2009 deaths of 41-year-old Riverton teacher Teresa Kemp and 13-year-old Taylor Kemp. John Kemp took the stand earlier in the day to describe their deaths as “brutal.”

His wife and daughter were traveling on U.S. 69 south of Pittsburg when their vehicle was hit by a car fleeing from Cherokee County deputies.

Hudgins’ attorney argued that law enforcement disregarded public safety in pursuing Hudgins.