Additional Source: MyFoxTampaBay.com
It’s been expected for months and now it’s official – the family of John Graziano has filed a civil lawsuit against Hulk and Nick Bollea for last summer’s auto accident that left Graziano in critical condition. Graziano was Nick Hogan’s passenger in the accident. Almost a year later, he is still at James A. Haley VA Medical Center in a "vegitative state". The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
According to Fox News out of Tampa Bay, the lawsuit alleges that Hulk and Linda knew of Nick’s extensive history of reckless driving and did nothing. It says that Nick’s Toyota Supra was modified to increase its horsepower and that the Bolleas knew Nick practiced "drifting" on public roads. The lawsuit also alleges that Hulk Hogan purchased alcohol on the day of the accident and took Nick and friends out on his boat on the day of the accident. Nick allegedly drank alcohol on the boat and Hulk should have known his son was under the influence when he was driving later that day.
Nick’s friend Daniel Jacobs is also targeted in the suit. Jacobs was racing Hulk’s Dodge Viper against Nick at the time of the accident.
The lawsuit says Hulk was negligent for entrusting the Supra to Bollea, entrusting the Viper to Jacobs, and for allegedly not properly supervising Bollea.
The lawsuit quotes Linda Bollea, who did not hide her approval for her son’s out-of-control racing: "Oh, I love it. I love it. The rush, the speed on the road, stereo blasting, heart pounding, racing in between all the cars, dodging the cops, it’s awesome." Yeah, awesome. That should go over well in court.
When contacted today, Hulk’s attorney said the lawsuit comes as no surprise. The Hogans plan to emphasize the fact that John Graziano’s injuries could have been prevented (or minimized) if he was wearing a seatbelt.