The widow of a Colorado Springs tow truck driver who died after he was dragged over a mile has sued the woman accused of manslaughter in his death.

In a wrongful death lawsuit filed in 4th Judicial District Court, Dawn Renee Rose claims that Detra Farries was negligent and careless when she drove off in a GMC sport utility vehicle that Allen Lew Rose had attached to a towing cable on Feb. 23 outside the Hill Park Apartments at 360 N. Murray Blvd.

The suit contends that Farries then dragged the tow truck driver for a distance of 1.2 miles after his leg became ensnared in the cable.

“By failing to stop when she realized, or should have realized, she was dragging Allen, the defendant was negligent and careless while operating the GMC,” said the suit, filed March 2 on behalf of Rose’s estate and his heirs, including his wife and their two children.

According to the complaint, the GMC had been tagged by Hill Park’s management company for being illegally parked.

The suit contends that Farries saw Rose hooking the GMC to the tow truck. She then got into the GMC, started the vehicle, jumped the curb, drove over a grass walkway and then across a sandy volleyball court, the suit alleged.

The towing cable snapped free from the truck but remained attached to the GMC, the suit states.

David McDivitt, a lawyer for the Rose family, said he could not comment on the suit.

Farries is due back in court at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday when prosecutors are expected to file charges in the case. She was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

District Attorney Dan May has said his office is reviewing the police investigation and will plans to make a decision on the charge by today.

A manslaughter conviction carries a normal penalty of up to six years in prison, although in cases with aggravated circumstances, a judge can sentence a defendant to up to 12 years in prison.

Farries remains free on a $50,000 bond pending her court appearance.

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Renee Rose, widow of tow driver Allen Rose, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE FILE