A settlement has been reached in a wrongful death lawsuit involving Cassidy Charette, a vibrant 17-year-old who died three years ago. Charette, an Oakland native, died while on a hayride that crashed at Harvest Hill Farm.
The family of Cassidy filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the operators of the haunted hayride along with several of its workers. The farm’s owner was named in the lawsuit along with the mechanic of the Jeep.
Harvest Hill Farms pleaded guilty to criminal charges last year. Owner Peter Bolduc Jr. was not given a criminal charge in the matter.
The Jeep that was towing the hayride lost its brakes, leading the vehicle to roll down a gravel path and hit a tree. The vehicle overturned and injured more than a dozen people who were also on the ride.
The case, according to the family, is about accountability.
“When a tragedy like this happens, there’s many ways that people can respond,” said the Charette’s attorney, Jodi Nofsinger. “In this case, with this family, their sole purpose moving forward after what happened two and a half years ago, was to make sure that they carry forward their daughter’s legacy.”
Bolduc approached the victim’s lawyers and offered to meet the victims. He stated that he couldn’t fathom what Cassidy’s family went through with tears in his eyes. His farm has filed for bankruptcy, but Bolduc has stated that he didn’t knowingly endanger the patrons on the hayride.
Cassidy’s family has used her death to create a foundation called “The Shine on Cass Foundation.” The foundation was created to offer scholarships to high school students. Cassidy was an honor student, volunteer and top athlete in the school.
Cassidy, known for her service and being kind to others, is the key to applicants receiving the scholarship. People that mirror Cassidy’s life are eligible for the scholarship. The settlement funds will be put into the foundation to help create new avenues that Cassidy’s death can impact.
The foundation has already provided two scholarships to students that embody the life that Cassidy lived. Liz Larson was the first recipient of a scholarship and is a Messalonskee graduate. She received her scholarship in 2016. Anna Dobos also received the scholarship in 2017. She also attended Messalonskee.
Cassidy’s brother spoke to media outlets, stating that his family is happy that the legal part of the process is over. He continued, “We still have that hole in our family. Closing the legal battle doesn’t do a substantial job at closing that.”
