Stanford Cop Sued in Wrongful Death Lawsuit

When Howard Robbins decided to visit his friends who lived across the street from him, he had no idea that the small walk posed such a great danger. The 69-year-old never made it across to see his friends. Travis Richardson, a Stanford cop, was allegedly heading to investigate an emergency call when he hit Robbins with his car.

The accident occurred over a year ago, on Jan. 15, 2015. This week, Tiffany Blanton, Robbins’ daughter, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Richardson, claiming that the there was no emergency call and that the cop was “speeding for the sake of speeding.”

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The lawsuit also holds the police chief, the mayor, and the city of Stanford responsible for the accident. It utilizes the laws involving “respondent superior,” in which an employer is responsible for the actions of his or her employee during and within the scope of employment.

Richardson was driving as fast as 80 to 90 miles per hour when the accident happened. The lawsuit also claims that he was driving in a way that – even if he had seen a person crossing the road – made it almost impossible to stop in time. He wasn’t charged with a crime but resigned from the Stanford Police Department. Richardson served the police department for over four years.

Robbins was pronounced dead at Fort Logan Hospital soon after the accident. While the cause of death was “blunt force trauma,” medical professionals also revealed that Robbins may have been under the influence of methamphetamine, used medicinally for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity,  which could have impaired his vision and hearing. However, they were unable to determine the extent of the impairment. Robbins’ blood also contained traces of Gabapentin, a medication used against seizures.

Howard Robbins was described as a friendly man who loved to mentor his friends and neighbors. So far, none of the accused have made any statements to the press. Blanton and her supporters seek justice for Robbins and his family.

If your family member died from an accident and you suspect someone else was at fault, you may be able to receive compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit](/wrongful-death-lawyers/.