Parents Sue After Son Dies In Borrowed Car

After attending a late-night party, 16-year-old Travis Templeton got into a borrowed car and drove off. The car veered off the road and struck a tree, and Templeton was killed.

Now, the dead boy’s parents, Bruce and Gloria Templeton, are suing their son’s best friend, who hosted the party, and his parents; a girl who allegedly loaned Travis her car and her parents; and several young adults the Templetons claim were responsible for serving their underage son liquor.

“We feel that had they not bought liquor, Travis wouldn’t have died,” said Gloria Templeton.

Travis was a baseball player on the Orting High School team. His parents say he got drunk after being served alcohol at an Orting party he attended on Sept. 10, 1994. He died in a wreck that night.

An autopsy found his blood alcohol level was .18 percent, close to twice the legal limit.

Stan Daffern, whose son hosted the gathering, said the allegations in the lawsuit “are just a bunch of lies.” He said he and his wife strongly discouraged drinking on their property.