There is no evidence that either John or Van Aernam had anything more than a few social drinks at the event, said Laurie A. Baker, who represents Van Aernam as Daniels’ co-counsel. Cheryl Meyers Buth, who represents John’s family, agreed.
“There is no evidence that they were impaired or inebriated,” Baker said. “These were two people who stopped on a bridge on a very nice night, and decided to go for a short walk. The real issue here is that the state had abandoned this bridge for decades. There were no lights on the bridge, no warning signs, nothing to stop anyone from going up on that bridge.”
The accident and its aftermath have been a “nightmare” for Van Aernam and John’s family, which includes a son, two daughters and a young granddaughter, Baker said.
