Man blames wheelchair companies for injuries

CHARLESTON – A man has filed suit against the company that performed maintenance on his wheelchair, saying the wheelchair accelerated at an improper time and caused him to sustain injuries.

Terry Hicks filed a lawsuit July 7 in Kanawha Circuit Court against National Seating and Mobility Inc. and Invacare Outcomes Management LLC, citing negligence.

Hicks claims he was attempting to exit his van when his power wheelchair improperly accelerated Aug. 28. Because of the incident, Hicks incurred medical costs and suffered serious and permanent physical injuries, including a broken leg, according to the complaint.

Hicks blames defendant National Seating and Mobility, saying it had recently done repair work on the wheel chair. Defendant Invacare had issued a recall for the wheelchair and was aware of the defects that caused Hicks’s injuries.

Both defendants negligently failed to adequately service and repair Hicks’s wheelchair, the suit states.

Hicks is seeking a judgement of unspecified compensatory damages.

He is being represented by Greg A. Hewitt of Hewitt and Salvatore in Fayetteville. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Tod J. Kaufman.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 14-C-1214