Main image: A police vehicle at the crime scene where Charlotte Sturgeon was run over by her husband (Salt Lake City Police Department). Inset left: Shawn Sturgeon appears in a booking photo (Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office). Inset right: Charlotte Sturgeon (via Facebook).
Delta Air Lines overserved a man alcoholic beverages while on a cross-country flight and got him so drunk that he ran over and killed his wife in an airport parking lot upon landing, a lawsuit claims.
There is no dispute that Shawn Christopher Sturgeon, 38 at the time of the incident, struck and killed his wife, Charlotte Sturgeon, in the Salt Lake City International Airport on April 4, 2022. In July 2022, Sturgeon was found guilty of automobile homicide and domestic violence in the presence of a child and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. A charge of manslaughter was dismissed with prejudice.
Now, representatives for the deceased woman’s estate and the couple’s child — who witnessed the horrific violence — are suing the Atlanta-based airline for dram shop liability, wrongful death, and negligent infliction of emotional distress over the alcoholic drinks that Shawn Sturgeon was allegedly served onboard the flight.
The Sturgeons were returning home from a family vacation to San Antonio. While at the airport in Texas that day, Shawn Sturgeon “had consumed multiple alcoholic beverages,” the lawsuit obtained by Law&Crime alleges. Then the airline allegedly served him booze again.
“When Shawn boarded the Delta Airlines flight, Delta Airlines personnel served Shawn at least two additional alcoholic beverages with high levels of alcohol content by volume,” the lawsuit reads. “Upon landing in Salt Lake City, the alcoholic beverages served by Delta Airlines had intoxicated Shawn to a level well in excess of the legal blood alcohol limit, rendering him impaired.”
The lawsuit suggests it was all an alcohol-influenced blur around the time the soon-to-be-shattered family disembarked.
“Shawn was so intoxicated that he claims to have no memory of landing or walking through the Salt Lake City airport,” the filing reads.
There is also no dispute that Shawn Sturgeon was extremely intoxicated by the time he got behind the wheel of his family’s SUV in the North Parking Plaza at the airport. After the accident, police found the man had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .13% — nearly three times Utah’s legal limit of .05%.
“In his intoxicated state, Shawn entered the driver’s seat of the vehicle while Charlotte was still outside the vehicle,” the lawsuit reads. “Shawn started the vehicle, put it into gear, and applied the gas in an attempt to leave the parking stall. When he did so, he was impaired as a result of his intoxication and did not perceive that Charlotte was still outside the vehicle and in the way of his path of travel.”
Law enforcement described the fatal incident in far more graphic and detailed terms.
Before either got into the SUV, the man “argued with his wife so loudly and viciously that it made several people in the area uncomfortable,” a charging document obtained by the Salt Lake City Tribune reads.
Security footage would show the man placing his child inside before getting into the driver’s seat, police noted. After that, the woman gets out of the front passenger seat to check on their child — the same time the vehicle is “abruptly” thrown into reverse, causing the woman to lose her balance. Then, with the back passenger door still open, the car accelerates in reverse again — finally knocking Charlotte Sturgeon down and causing her to be dragged by the car.
After that, Shawn Sturgeon switches gears and drives forward — dragging his wife about 10 feet and leaving a tire print on her body.
“Are you f—— crazy?” one witness reported Shawn Sturgeon shouting at his wife after finally realizing what was going on. “Get the f— up right now. Get off the ground and get in the car.”
Another witness would tell police the husband asked his wife “why she just did that,” then saying something to the effect of: “Now I have to take you to the emergency room,” before “aggressively” picking her up off the pavement and shoving her back inside the vehicle.
Afterward, the SUV can be seen driving to a parking garage payment booth — where Shawn Sturgeon asked an attendant for help. At that time, his wife was still breathing. She was rushed to a nearby hospital where she quickly succumbed to her injuries.
The lawsuit alleges that Delta “knew or should have known that Shawn was heavily intoxicated when it allowed Shawn to depart the airplane after having served him alcohol” and that the airline “took no steps to keep Shawn from driving” or informed law enforcement about his intoxication and potentially impaired driving.
“Delta engaged in a course of conduct which was intentional, willful, reckless, wanton, and with gross indifference to the safety of the Decedent and others, and it profited from continuing to sell alcoholic beverages to those who are obviously intoxicated,” the lawsuit goes on.
The lawsuit also claims the Sturgeon’s daughter now suffers from “severe emotional distress” and had to undergo counseling and medical treatment after witnessing her mother’s pain and death.
Delta has broadly taken issue with the lawsuit but is not offering any specifics.
“Although we dispute the allegations in the Complaint, we cannot comment further on the pending litigation,” a spokesperson told Law&Crime.
The lawsuit claims various damages including medical expenses, lost earnings, funeral costs, pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of companionship and enjoyment of life.
The complaint was originally filed in Utah in late January but was removed to federal court late last week.
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