The lawsuit alleges that NorthPark’s parking lots have been the site of “Fast & Furious”-style joyriding by individuals and gatherings since at least 2011. The suit further alleges that NorthPark “knowingly tolerated,” and “failed to make reasonable attempts to abate,” joyriding by large groups meeting the definition of “organized criminal activity.” If the lawsuit is successful on that issue, the Court will Order all of NorthPark’s lots closed for one year (except for the parking garage that serves Macy’s, which is a separate legal entity).
On March 11, 2019, two guests from China, Mr. Yu Luo and Mr. Shiguo Wang, best friends, parked in the parking garage attached to Nordstrom in search of a restaurant. Upon discovering that the Nordstrom skywalk entrance was already locked for the evening, they followed the crosswalk as they turned toward the other skywalk which enters the mall directly from the second floor of the garage.
At that same time, the suit alleges, Mr. Christopher Ryan Shaw of Lewisville, in a rear-wheel drive Dodge Charger, was making a “high-speed run” from the ground floor towards the roof of the garage. When he saw the best friends, he tried to avoid them but lost control of the Charger. Mr. Shaw hit the men in the crosswalk, slamming Mr. Luo into the elevator wall, tearing his body asunder and killing him; and throwing Mr. Wang over the edge of the second floor, causing injuries that required multiple surgeries and continuous hospitalization since March. Mr. Luo’s mutilated body was found near the Nordstrom skywalk where it was seen by employees and guests of the mall.
In seeking to keep video from the public, Mr. David Jensen, president of NorthPark Security, Inc., stated in an Affidavit to the Court that release of the “video would be detrimental to the image and reputation NorthPark Center has assiduously worked to create and maintain for years in Dallas, North Texas, and throughout the country. If the video were to leak […], it would likely permanently damage the image and reputation of NorthPark that it has worked so hard to cultivate.”
The families’ lead attorney, Marc C. Lenahan of the Lenahan Law Firm in Dallas, provided computer animated demonstrative videos showing its understanding of the tragic events in a Press Folder: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l5175jtihu3gu7m/AAD7neDXFTMkfox-qDmBDWNCa?dl=0
Mr. Lenahan also points to aerial photographs back through 2011 showing a history of the garage roof’s perpetually renewing skids and donuts.
“Once again, NorthPark Center has proven that keeping its customers’ money so that it can humble-flaunt its wealth is more important to it than keeping its customers safe,” Mr. Lenahan said. “We are calling on the public to boycott NorthPark Center this holiday season. Bring your shopping and your families to Highland Park Village, the Galleria, Stonebriar, or Willow Bend, instead of to NorthPark which proved in a sworn affidavit that it wants to mislead the public with an incomplete image of what happens to customers there.”
The iconic Dallas luxury mall produces over a billion dollars of revenue each year.
About the Lenahan Law Firm
The Lenahan Law Firm is a severe personal injury law firm, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that focuses on trucking and commercial liability after catastrophic losses. For more information about the Lenahan Law Firm, please visit DallasSevereInjuryLawyer.com.
Mr. Lenahan is a Dallas severe injury attorney licensed in Texas, North Dakota, and the D.D.C., and the Chairman of The National Compassion Fund which ensures that every penny donated to victims of mass casualties goes to the victims and their families as intended.