Father of boy killed in Lexington crash files lawsuit against mother, Sayre School
The father of one of two brothers killed in a 2019 Lexington crash has filed a lawsuit against the boys’ mother, maternal grandfather and Sayre School.
The crash happened at about 3:40 a.m. on Feb. 17, 2019. A Toyota Prius driven by 19-year-old Bobby Puckett struck a tree outside Southside Technical Center on Harrodsburg Road, according to police. The car was not spotted until about 8:40 a.m. that day when someone walking in the area called police.
Neo Thomas Sanders, 15, and Robert Andrew “Roan” Sanders, 17, died in the crash. Both were students at Sayre School.
Neo’s father, Mark Waller Williams, filed the lawsuit in Fayette County Circuit Court this month.
The lawsuit accuses the brothers’ mother, Heather Sanders, of allowing Puckett to drink alcohol in her home before he drove with her two sons as passengers.
Heather Sanders had been previously ordered by a judge not to have unsupervised visits with the boys or have overnight visits, according to the lawsuit.
Neo and Roan’s maternal grandfather, Ronald Sanders, was acting as the boys’ guardian, according to the lawsuit. He is accused in the lawsuit of allowing the boys to go to their mother’s house unsupervised.
The lawsuit accuses Sayre School of allowing Neo to bring home a bottle of rum from a school-sponsored trip to Cuba.
Neo returned from the Cuba trip the day before the crash and was picked up at the airport by Roan, according to the lawsuit.
Neo and Roan then went to their mother’s home on Cheryl Lane and eventually met up with Puckett there, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit accuses Heather Sanders of allowing or providing alcohol to Puckett in her home on the night of Feb. 16 and into the early morning hours of Feb. 17. The suit also alleges that Puckett was under the influence when he crashed.
The car was traveling at a high rate of speed east on Cheryl Lane before it crossed all four lanes of Harrodsburg Road, went into a parking lot and hit a tree, according to the lawsuit.
Puckett was charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter in Neo and Roan’s deaths. His case awaits trial.
Sayre School’s Head of School Stephen Manella did not comment on the lawsuit, saying that the school has a policy prohibiting commenting on legal matters.
“As a community, we continue to mourn the loss of our students,” Manella said.
Heather Sanders could not be immediately reached for comment on the lawsuit. Since the lawsuit was filed last week, those sued haven’t yet filed responses giving their perspectives about what happened.
Also named in the lawsuit was the owner of the car Puckett was driving. The lawsuit accuses the person of entrusting Puckett to use the vehicle when they should known that he was an “unfit and / or reckless driver and / or intoxicated driver.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 12:59 PM.
