Jury Clears New Jersey Pub in Patron’s Death

Jurors found a New Jersey pub was not negligent in the death of a patron who was struck and killed while walking on the Garden State Parkway.

The jury decided not to award money to the parents of Robert Barbiero II.

They sued the owners of Emerald Corner bar in Clifton after the 24-year-old was killed while walking on the parkway in Bloomfield in 2009.

The Record newspaper reports five people who were with Barbiero at the bar testified that while he appeared “tipsy” or “buzzed,” his speech was not slurred nor was he stumbling.

State law says patrons must appear visibly intoxicated for a bar to be held civilly responsible after they leave the establishment.

The bar’s attorney said Barbiero left the pub about three hours before the accident.