Former Georgia staffer sues Jalen Carter, UGA athletic association for negligence in fatal car wreck

Victoria Bowles, a former Georgia recruiting analyst who survived the Jan. 15 crash that killed fellow staffer Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock, has filed a lawsuit against the university’s athletic department and former star defensive tackle Jalen Carter. The suit alleges negligence on behalf of Georgia’s athletic department and contradicts a number of statements made about the incident.

Among the claims in the suit is that LeCroy had been given authorization to keep and drive the SUV leased by the team for recruiting and other purposes through that evening, to be returned the next day. Georgia has publicly stated that LeCroy should not have been driving the vehicle, and that it should’ve been returned already.

“On the evening of the Championship Celebration, LeCroy told Ms. Bowles that she [LeCroy] had ‘permission’ to keep the SUV ‘until tomorrow,'” the lawsuit said, according to ESPN. “Numerous text messages from recruiting staff supervisors to LeCroy, Ms. Bowles and other staff members show the Association’s statement is false. Recruiting staff were regularly informed they could leave their personal vehicles overnight at the Butts-Mehre football facility and permissively use Association rental vehicles through a specified cut-off date and time, unrelated to their assigned recruiting activity duties.”

The lawsuit also accuses Carter, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, with illegally leaving the scene of the accident and failing to render aid. Carter was apparently racing LeCroy in the SUV in his own car, but did not crash.

“Despite LeCroy’s passenger, [former Georgia offensive lineman Warren McClendon], stating to him that he could not locate Devin Willock, Defendant Carter left the scene after less than 10 minutes when another UGA football player at the scene yelled at him: ‘Yo…hey, JC…you might want to go ahead and go get the f*ck on yo….'” the lawsuit said.

Carter was eventually arrested and pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanor charges: reckless driving and racing. His sentence is 12 months of probation, 80 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine and to attend an approved defensive driving course. He was selected in the Top 10 of the NFL Draft.

Georgia responded to the suit simply, stating they will defend themselves in court.

“We are reviewing the complaint, but we dispute its claims and will defend the Athletic Association’s interests in court,” a statement said.

This is the second lawsuit to result from the Jan. 15 crash, as Willock’s estate — executed by his father — has sued the Georgia athletic association, LeCroy’s estate and Carter for $40 million in damages. Georgia has pushed back against the claims in that suit, as well.

The latest suit filed by Bowles is also seeking damages from LeCroy’s estate. According to the complaint, Bowles has racked up north of $170,000 in medical costs and suffers from “likely permanent disability,” as a result of her injuries.

Those injuries listed in the lawsuit include a trio of lumbar (lower back) fractures, five fractured vertebrae, 10 broken ribs, broken and cracked teeth, a broken clavicle, lacerations to her liver and kidney, a punctured lung that collapsed and abdominal bleeding.

Additionally, Bowles suffered a “closed head injury” causing severe eye pain and neurological damage. According to her neurosurgeon, there is significant damage to the membrane protecting her spinal cord, putting Bowles at risk of permanent paralysis, per the suit.

The Georgia athletic association released a statement in response to the latest lawsuit. It is included in its entirety below:

“We are continuing to review the complaint, as plaintiff’s counsel elected to share it with the media before sharing it with us.  Based on our preliminary review, we dispute its claims and will vigorously defend the Athletic Association’s interests in court.

“We stand by our prior statements regarding this matter.

“The complaint does not allege that Ms. LeCroy and Ms. Bowles were on duty or acting within the scope of their employment in the hours leading up to the accident.  It claims that on some previous occasions, recruiting staff were permitted to take rental vehicles home and return them the next morning. This does not mean, however, that they were allowed to use the car for any purpose.  Recruiting vehicles were to be used during recruiting activities only, personal use of the vehicles was prohibited, and recruiting staff therefore were not authorized to use the rental vehicle for their purely personal activities on the night of the accident or any other time.  Under no circumstances were recruiting staff authorized to use rental cars to drive at excessive speeds while intoxicated.

“While we have patiently supported Ms. Bowles during her long and difficult recovery, we will strongly defend our position in this lawsuit.”

University of Georgia Athletic Association