COEUR d'ALENE - The parents of one of the Coeur d'Alene teenagers who died in a September car accident near Twin Falls filed a civil suit against the people they say are responsible for their son's death.

Tim and Paula Austin, along with Jessica Duran, the accident's only survivor, filed a complaint for damages June 3 in Twin Falls County 5th District Court for the death of 19-year-old Devon Austin, a College of Southern Idaho baseball player on scholarship at the time of his passing.

It names Twin Falls County residents Kade Laughlin, Ryan Balles, Colt Robinson and Naccona Tegan Robinson. It also names Ryan Reinhardt, the driver of the vehicle in which Devon Austin was riding, who also died at the scene.

It seeks in excess of $10,000 from each defendant.

Paula Austin said Thursday she was unaware that her attorney, Bruce Owens, had filed the complaint since the family had been closely following possible criminal procedures since the accident, but trusted her counsel was properly handling the complexities of the civil process.

"That's where we thought we'd be spending our time, with the criminal," she said, adding that she hoped the civil matter wouldn't affect the friendship between the families.

"Laura and I are close," she said about Reinhardt's mother, Laura Wilson. "We're helping each other through a very difficult time in our lives, and I hope it doesn't go away with this."

Attorney Owens could not be reached Thursday.

Wilson said she found out about the suit Thursday, and will meet with her attorney, Mike Verbillis, Monday to discuss what it means. She declined further comment. Verbillis couldn't be reached Thursday.

Laughlin, 20, faces a misdemeanor reckless driving charge stemming from the Sept. 12 accident.

Laughlin, according to Twin Falls County Sheriff's reports, admitted chasing Reinhardt's Toyota Camry down the rural 3900 N Road in Twin Falls County with at least three other passengers riding in the Ford F150 pickup truck at speeds up to 60 miles per hour.

After the single-car accident, Duran, 19, identified Laughlin as an acquaintance from school who chased the Coeur d'Alene teenagers as they left Laughlin's party.

Her identification led to Laughlin's arrest for driving under the influence later that morning, according to Twin Falls County Sheriff's reports. The Twin Falls County Prosecutor's Office said the ensuing eight-month investigation led to the reckless driving charge.

The accident occurred around 1 a.m.

Duran told investigators the occupants of the truck wanted to beat up the Coeur d'Alene teenagers, and they sped away to avoid the physical confrontation. Laughin, according to deputy reports, admitted that he wanted to get them.

According to an Idaho State Police collision reconstruction report, Reinhardt, 18, failed to navigate a curve while traveling at least 94 miles per hour on the rural road as it intersected with U.S. Highway 30. The turn is posted at 15 miles per hour. Reinhardt had a blood-alcohol concentration of .19, and Austin's was .12, according to the collision report. The legal limit is .08 for adults 21 and over.

The Coeur d'Alene families have said in several interviews the occupants of the chasing vehicle should still be held accountable. They believe if it weren't for the chase, the accident wouldn't have occurred.

Duran told The Press they had left the party peacefully after a verbal dispute about accusations the teenagers were trying to steal plastic cups. She said the truck didn't pursue them until they were already down the road. Both Duran and Laughlin, according to the interview and deputy reports, said that Laughlin tried to get Reinhardt's Toyota Camry to stop by pulling up beside it and in front of it and slowing down.

Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney Grant Loebs said the reckless driving charge is from that pursuit, but the truck occupants did not witness the accident. Duran's interview disputed that. She said she remembers seeing the truck's headlights behind them right before the crash.

Laughlin later drove by the accident but did not report it. He was arrested for driving under the influence later that night, with a BAC result of .153. He paid $582.50 after pleading guilty in March. On April 25, he was charged for unlawful purchase of alcohol by a minor. That case is still open.

The reckless driving charge, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, is scheduled for a June 21 pretrial conference.

R. Keith Roark, Laughlin's listed attorney, did not return a message from The Press Thursday.