AUBURN – The estate representing the 9-year-old daughter of a man killed in a 2005, car accident is suing the driver of the car for the wrongful death of her father.

Tamika Lepage, who lives in the Twin Cities area, lost her father, Ricky Steedley, 44, of Peru in a car accident on July 24, 2005 on Route 108 in Rumford.

The 1990 Chrysler New Yorker struck a utility pole then slammed into a house shortly after 7 a.m. Steedley, who was in the passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Robert Brimage Jr., 28, of Lewiston was driving the car. He was later charged with manslaughter, criminal drunken driving and driving with a suspended license. The latter two charges were dropped when he pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced in July 2006 in Oxford County Superior Court to five years in prison with all but one year suspended. He also was ordered to serve four years probation.

The civil suit against Brimage, filed in Androscoggin County Superior Court, claims he was negligent when he crashed the car, killing Steedley.

Chris L’Hommedieu, attorney for Lepage, said if the suit is successful, he doesn’t expect to get a meaningful judgment from Brimage.

“The odds of recovering against the defendant individually are poor given his incarceration and other problems,” he said Wednesday.

The insurance company for the vehicle’s registrant is claiming that Brimage might not have been an authorized user of the car, L’Hommedieu said. If the insurance company refuses to pay, L’Hommedieu said he may explore the option of suing the company.

The accident caused so much damage to the car, both Brimage and Steedley had to be cut from the wreckage by rescue crews. Brimage was flown by helicopter to a Lewiston hospital and released within a week.