14 DAY TRIAL // A woman in the US is now suing herself over a car crash that she caused back in 2011 and that led to the death of her husband, Bradley Vom Baur.
The woman, identified as 48-year-old Barbara Bagley, wants the court of law handling this case to order her to pay herself an undisclosed sum of money for medical and funeral expenses.
What's more, it is understood that she expects to receive compensation for having lost the love and companionship of her husband, as well as for loss of financial support following the death of her husband.
How the woman lost her husband
On December 27, 2011, Barbara Bagley and Bradley Vom Baur were traveling down Interstate 80 in Nevada when the woman lost control of the wheel and their car flipped over.
Both the woman and her husband were severely injured. Bradley Vom Baur died in hospital a couple of weeks following this crash and Barbara Bagley took months to recover.
It is understood that, during the crash, the 48-year-old woman suffered a serious concussion, broke a few of her ribs, shattered a wrist and even had her lungs punctured.
One of the couple's dogs, a Shetland sheepdog named Dooley that was in the car with them when Barbara Bagley lost control of the wheel, was lost and was only found 53 days after the accident.
Why is this woman suing herself?
Legally speaking, 48-year-old Barbara Bagley is not exactly suing herself. Thus, in court documents, the plaintiff is Barbara Bagley as the representative of her late husband's estate.
The defendant, on the other hand, is Barbara Bagley as the driver who caused the crash that resulted in the death of Bradley Vom Baur. It is Barbara Bagley the driver that stands accused of negligence.
The idea is that, legally speaking, Barbara the estate representative is a separate party from Barbara the driver. Hence, the former is entitled to asking the latter for financial compensation for her losses.
No, Barbara does not want to pay herself
Mind you, 48-year-old Barbara Bagley did not take legal action against herself because she wants her to pay herself. This would make even less sense than this lawsuit.
The idea is that, if Barbara the driver is found guilty of negligence and of having caused the death of Bradley Vom Baur, the woman's insurance company will be the one paying the financial compensation she expects to receive.
Simply put, the reason this woman decided to sue herself over the car crash that caused the death of her husband is that she wants to cash insurance.
Although some say that the woman's claims do make some sense, others insist that the judge presiding over this case should just dismiss Barbara Bagley's claims, Daily Mail informs.
“The jury would be asked to determine how much money will fairly compensate Barbara Bagley for the harm she caused herself. The jury will be highly confused - it cannot order a person to compensate herself,” said lawyers employed by the woman's insurance company.