A relaxing day at the beach turned into a nightmare for 31-year-old Pablo Ibanez Fernandez, a tourist from Spain. According to a new lawsuit, he was lying in the sand on a Bridgehampton beach on August 18 when a Farrell Building pickup truck ran over him, and he woke to the sight of the truck’s undercarriage passing above him. The suit claims he sustained fractures and serious permanent injuries.
The driver is identified as 21-year-old Jack Farrell, son of celebrity Hamptons developer Joe Farrell, whose company is valued at around $3 billion. Legal papers allege Farrell was looking at a lifeguard when he inadvertently drove over the victim. Pablo and his brother Alberto filed the $7 million suit in the Eastern District of New York on September 18, seeking $3 million in compensatory damages, $3 million in punitive damages, and $1 million for Alberto’s emotional harm, plus a jury trial.
There’s another layer here: Southampton Town Regulations prohibit driving on the beach at that time of day. So beyond the injuries, there are questions about why a truck was on the sand at all. The Farrell family and their company haven’t responded publicly, and the case is now headed through the courts.
What do you think, should beach driving be banned outright, or is there ever a good reason for it?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.