KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The parents of a Knoxville man struck and killed while walking on a Kingston Pike sidewalk have filed suit against the driver accused of hitting him, Knox County's emergency dispatch system, an ambulance service, a hospital and the driver's brother.
Matt and Kim Kredich seek $5 million in compensatory damages and $10 million in punitive damages in the Knox County Circuit Court action filed Monday.
Named as defendants are Shannon Walker; Walker's brother, Scott Walker; the Knox County Emergency Communications District; American Medical Response of Tennessee; Parkwest Medical Center; and Covenant Health.
The complaint was filed by attorneys Christopher Cain, Don Bosch and Michael Tabler on behalf of the Krediches.
On the afternoon of Aug. 21, 2023, the Krediches' 24-year-old son Ben was walking east on Kingston Pike heading to the Sunspot on Cumberland Avenue. He was going to meet his dad for one of their routine dinners.
Walker, 45, driving a minivan, crossed from an eastbound lane of Kingston Pike into the westbound lanes and then onto the sidewalk, where he struck and killed Ben Kredich from behind. His vehicle came to rest near the Presbyterian church on the north side of Kingston Pike.
Authorities say Walker had lost consciousness because of drugs while driving, resulting in Ben Kredich's death.
The young man's death, the Krediches contend, never should have happened. Multiple people and agencies failed to act in ways that could have prevented Walker from ever driving on Kingston Pike, they argue.
A couple hours before on the same day, Walker had overdosed on opioids in the same minivan while at an address on Westland Drive, authorities allege. An AMR ambulance crew then administered narcan -- twice -- to Walker to revive him, the lawsuit states. They then took him to Parkwest Medical Center, operated by Covenant Health, for treatment.
About an hour after arriving at the hospital, Walker told hospital personnel he was leaving.
According to the lawsuit, Walker's brother turned up at the hospital to drive him away. He took him back to Westland, the lawsuit states.
Walker, having gotten his keys back, turned the vehicle on and headed toward Kingston Pike. He struck and killed Kredich about 4 p.m. Aug. 21, 2023, authorities allege.
After the crash, police found drugs including heroin and morphine in the van, the Krediches allege.
The Krediches fault the 911 dispatcher who handled the original OD call and the AMR attendants who revived Walker for failing to do more that could have gotten police involved sooner on the day Walker struck their son.
They make the same argument about hospital staff and the hospital operator.
"Absent police intervention, nothing prevented Walker from leaving the ER and returning to his minivan to drive away," the lawsuit states.
Walker is due in Knox County Criminal Court on Sept. 3.
Charges against him include vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment, drug possession and DUI.
