When longtime ESPN analyst Chris Berman’s wife, Katherine, died tragically in a car accident last year, those around the sports journalism community were shocked.
Not a whole lot of information was available at the time. Instead, the focus was on Berman who lost someone he shared a life with for decades.
According to a recent lawsuit filed by the family of 86-year-old Edward Bertulis — the man who died in this tragic accident — Katherine was drunk at the time of impact.
“A lawsuit alleges that Katherine Berman, wife of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, was served alcohol even though she was already intoxicated shortly before a 2017 car crash that killed her and a Waterbury man,” NBC New York reported.
The Bertulis’ family claims that the Marketplace Kitchen & Bar in Woodbury served Berman alcohol immediately before the fatal crash. It also alleges that Berman was already intoxicated when served said alcohol.
This isn’t an exception to the rule. Bars have an obligation to make sure their patrons don’t get behind a vehicle if showing signs of being too impaired. Apparently, this was the case with Berman.
Connecticut’s Dram Shop Act makes it clear that establishments can be held liable in similar situations. Sadly, Mr. Bertulis was making his way back from visiting his late wife at a cemetery when the fatal accident happened.
Neither Berman nor her estate were named in the lawsuit.