BECKLEY -- A Raleigh County man is suing the driver of the vehicle he was a passenger in, an employee of the city of Oak Hill and the city itself, alleging negligence in a collision that resulted in permanent physical injuries.
Christopher Grant Meador filed a lawsuit Sept. 15 in Raleigh Circuit Court against the city of Oak Hill, James Richard Pack and Derrek R. Eikost, alleging negligence, negligent entrustment and vicarious liability of an agent.
According to the complaint, on Sept, 27, 2013, Meador was riding as a passenger in Eikost's pickup truck as it was traveling eastbound on Fitzpatrick Road in MacArthur. Pack, acting within the scope of his employment with city of Oak Hill, was driving westbound on the same road in an SUV when he crossed the center line and hit Eikost's vehicle, the suit says.
The suit states both Eikost and Pack didn't keep a proper lookout, failed to observe and maintain proper lane designations within a marked driving lane and failed to apply their brakes in a timely manner. The civil action also faults the city of Oak Hill with negligence as it entrusted one of its vehicles to Pack, who had previous history of car accidents and negligent driving behavior. Oak Hill also is vicariously liable for Pack's actions as Pack was acting as agent of the city at the time of the accident, the lawsuit states.
Meador seeks compensation for pain and suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, lose of life's enjoyment and medical expenses, in addition to punitive damages, attorney fees and costs, plus other relief deemed appropriate by the court. He is represented by attorney J. Mingo Winters of J. Mingo Winters Attorney at Law in Beckley.
Raleigh Circuit Court case number 15-C-836.
