First lawsuits filed in deadly Hingham Apple store crash

The first lawsuits have been filed in the wake of the deadly crash at an Apple Store in Hingham. The cases were filed on several people who were seriously hurt. The civil suit names the driver who is already charged criminally but also names Apple and the shopping area’s owners.

Doug Sheff and his litigation team are suing on behalf of several victims and their families. The attorneys say protective barriers should have been in place because of the configuration of the busy parking lot and storefronts. “There is an open glass façade vulnerable to those inside,” said Sheff.

Sheff says there is no specific rule in Massachusetts requiring these barriers but they believe there is still negligence. “There have been attempts in the legislature to codify this,” said Sheff. “I think the rule in Massachusetts is basic rule of common sense. That they do things when they are reasonably required.”

The two lawsuits name multiple parties. Two of the victims were identified by the law firm. Stephen Parrish is an employee at the store. Matthew Timberger is a customer. The lawsuit also names their family members who were not there as plaintiffs. “These injuries include serious orthopedic as well as brain injuries,” said Sheff.

The driver, Bradley Rein, was charged with reckless homicide in the crash. He told police his foot got stuck on the accelerator. Rein is still in custody with his bail set at 100-thousand dollars. The Plymouth DA’s office told us Rein was moved from a Plymouth jail to a facility on the cape because of a conflict.  The lawsuit also points out that the rear of the building has safeguards to protect equipment so the attorney say the same should have been in place in front. “There is protection barriers for pipes, there is protection for electrical fixtures and there is even protection for dumpsters,” said Sheff.

Boston 25 has been working to reach out to all of the parties including Apple but we have not been able to get a comment yet or find out if they are allowed to comment on a pending case.

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