Teens injured in ex-Murrieta mayor's DUI crash file lawsuit

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- Four teens are suing after they were injured in a DUI crash caused by the former mayor of Murrieta, their families announced Monday.

The lawsuit was filed in Riverside County Superior Court seeking unspecified damages from former Murrieta Mayor Alan Long. The girls' attorney said the girls are recuperating and will need physical and emotional treatment for some time to come.

It's been nearly a month since the crash that injured four Murrieta Valley High School cheerleaders on October 16. But the girls' families say they are still feeling the effects.

Rozette Dewart says her granddaughter Melissa Reynolds suffers intense pain daily from a spinal fracture.

"She's in a lot of pain, she is suffering. She's suffering tremendously," said Dewart.

Monday, Reynolds and her sister, Andi Williams, and sisters Chloe and Camille Rogers filed a lawsuit against Long, whom they hold responsible.

Long was allegedly drunk when he slammed his truck into the car carrying the teens from a school pep rally.

"As any responsible citizen knows, and as Mr. Long knew, he was endangering everybody else by his actions and his reckless and cavalier attitude. He's extremely lucky he didn't kill somebody," said attorney Jean-Simon Serrano.

The complaint against Long says: "As fire battalion chief and as a 'first responder' and as mayor of the city of Murrieta at the time of the incident, Alan William Long had sworn to uphold these laws, yet he knowingly and intentionally violated them."

Long is facing felony DUI charges.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office said that at the time of the crash, he had a 0.08 blood-alcohol level, the legal limit.

"I think it's shameful to have been in the position that he holds and he knows not to drink and drive," said Cathy Rogers, mother of two of the victims.

Long resigned as mayor shortly after the crash but continued to run for a seat on the Murrieta City Council. Last week he was re-elected.

Both families say they were disappointed by Murrieta voters.

"They don't know the facts yet. Once all the facts come out, I'm sure that it would be different," said Dewart.

Long did not respond to calls from Eyewitness News for comment on this story.

Long is scheduled to be arraigned in the DUI case on Dec. 11.