Father of teen killed in Lynn crash sues

LYNN – The father of a Salem teen killed in a fatal car accident in Lynn last month has filed a lawsuit against the driver and his mother for wrongful death, according to published reports.Julia Gauthier, 19, a freshman at Salem State College, was killed in the early hours of March 21 after her boyfriend, Christopher Maxson, 19, of Marblehead, sped through a stop sign, crashed into three parked cars and flipped his SUV over. Her father, Marc Gauthier, filed the suit against Maxson and his mother, Margaret Maxson, who is the owner of the Toyota 4Runner involved.The civil suit, filed Wednesday in Salem Superior Court by Gauthier and lawyer Eric Finamore of Boston-based Weston Patrick, alleges Maxson and his mother are both guilty of negligence and gross negligence. Reports said the suit was filed quickly to help the teen’s family get a court order to prohibit moving Maxson’s SUV, which could contain crucial evidence, before it can be inspected by Finamore’s own expert.Gauthier was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Glenwood Street after being ejected through the sunroof of the SUV. Two passengers, Thomas Lambert, 20, of Salem and David Duong, 20, of Salem suffered minor injuries. Maxson pleaded innocent to charges of motor vehicle homicide, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop at a stop sign. He faces up to 15 years in prison.Court officials said during Maxson’s arraignment that the defendant has a history of reckless driving. His license was suspended in 2008 stemming from a speeding incident in Brookline, but was later reinstated in June 2009. A hearing on the Gauthier’s request to not move the SUV will be held April 8.