Lawsuits filed in deadly 2022 Wilson County car crash involving Green Hill High student
Two lawsuits argue that an automobile wreck in Wilson County that killed a Green Hill High School student and injured a passenger was "foreseeable” and local governments were negligent.
Ambria McGregor, 16, was the driver who died Dec. 28, 2022, from injuries sustained three weeks earlier on Dec. 7 in a one-vehicle crash on General Kershaw Drive.
Lillian Monterroza was also in the 2006 Kia Sorento. Lillian was injured in the wreck.
One lawsuit is filed on behalf of Ambria’s parents, Brittney and Ryder McGregor, against Wilson County.
The other is filed on behalf of Lillian and parents Sharon and Ivan Monterroza. The Monterozza lawsuit lists Wilson County and Metro Nashville and Davidson County as defendants.
The lawsuits are being combined, Wilson County Circuit Court Clerk Debbie Moss said.
General Kershaw Drive, just off Saundersville Road, cuts through portions of Wilson and Davidson counties. The location of the wreck is at a sharp turn after a straightaway.
Both lawsuits allege poor roadway design and insufficient signs or warnings were in place at the time of the crash. The lawsuits allege that officials knew or should have known about unsafe conditions on General Kershaw Drive prior to the crash based on previous wrecks around the location.
“The risk of a motor vehicle wreck at the curve was foreseeable and the proper officials with Metro Nashville and Wilson County had notice of this unsafe and dangerous condition in a time sufficiently prior to December 7, 2022, for Metro Nashville and Wilson County to have taken appropriate measures before the collision,” states the lawsuit filed by Jason Denton, representing the Monterroza family.
There were new safety measures installed after the fatal wreck.
Those include a guardrail within the Wilson County portion of the roadway and signs on the straightway that fall in Davidson County. The signs display an arrow and mark a 20 mph speed limit ahead of reflective pole striping for night visibility added after the crash.
The lawsuit on behalf of the Monterroza family states Lillian sustained multiple injuries that have required medical treatment and “has not yet been placed at maximum medical improvement.”
The wreck occurred around 8:45 p.m., after Ambria and Lillian had left the nearby Hermitage Church of the Nazarene to look at Christmas lights, according to information at the time on a GoFundMe page.
The tragic crash led to an outpouring of community support that included the display of purple ribbons and “Ambria Strong” posters.
Justin Hight of the Rocky McElhaney Law Firm submitted the lawsuit on behalf of the McGregor family.
Both families declined to comment on the lawsuits, their attorneys said.
Wilson County’s insurance carrier has assigned an attorney to represent the county, said Wilson County Attorney Mike Jennings. Efforts to reach the attorney who will be defending the county were unsuccessful.
A specific monetary amount isn’t part of the lawsuit. Claims against government entities are generally maxed at $300,000 for each person injured against each entity, Denton said.
Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Lawsuits filed in crash involving Green Hill student Ambria McGregor
