Erinys, a British security company similar to Blackwater, has been sued in court over the death of Army Spc. Christopher Monroe according to a fresh story from Reuters. Spc. Monroe was killed on October 25, 2005 after being struck by a Erinys vehicle which was traveling past a U.S. Convoy at a high rate of speed. While officially ruled an accident, the reckless behavior that led to the death of Spc. Monroe is inexcusable and demands justice.

The lawsuit accuses the Erinys convoy of ignoring warnings and traveling at excessive speed after dark without lights fully on, leading to an accident in which Monroe was hit, suffering severe injuries that led to his death.

Even though warned that the remainder of the U.S. convoy was ahead, the Erinys PSD team employee with reckless disregard accelerated to a high rate of speed and struck Christopher with his armored Suburban, tearing off his right leg.

This case marks the first time a private security company has been charged for the death of a U.S. Soldier according to lawyers. This makes the case very important as recently there has been considerable discussion over who exactly these companies are responsible to. After the recent shooting of Iraqi civilians by Blackwater we have learned that not only is there a loophole in U.S. Law that makes them immune to prosecution here, but that Blackwater would actually prevent themselves from being held accountable in Iraq. While there are no details on how they would prevent this, the recent reports of them pulling weapons on U.S. soldiers makes it pretty clear what they mean.

I wish the family of Spc. Christopher Monroe the best. As a father I cannot imagine the grief and anger that must be a daily part of their lives. This needless war has destroyed the lives of too many, but our thoughts are with the families, friends, and loved ones of all the fallen soldiers. I hope that with this lawsuit it will bring some small relief and closure. More importantly I hope that this lawsuit will open the doors to many more and maybe we can make Iraq safer for our troops there by getting these cowboys out.

~ William ~

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