CHARLESTON – Kanawha County jurors have ruled in favor of Subaru in a combined lawsuit filed in 2011 by three individuals killed in 2009 in a car accident.
The jury’s verdict marks the end of the lawsuits that were filed after a mother, her daughter and her daughter’s friend were killed on W.Va. 10 between Huntington and Barboursville.
The lawsuits alleged product liability claims against Subaru alleging that the construction of the Subaru Forester contributed to the deaths of Carole Lynn Crawford, Meaghan McGuire Crawford and Kelsey Rebecca Kuhn.
After the head-on collision that occurred when Erma Marie Brown crossed the center line and hit the Subaru, witnesses tried to free the Subaru occupants from the vehicle when it burst into flames.
Kanawha County jurors disagreed with the allegations.
When the lawsuits were filed in 2011, they were filed against Dr. Anita Dawson, who wrote prescription after prescription for pain medication for Brown. Brown was also sued, along with several pharmacies that filled her prescription orders.
The claims against Brown, Dawson and the pharmacies were previously resolved.
Sometime after the car accident had occurred, Brown pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of prescription painkillers and was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
In 2010, federal agents raided Dawson’s office and seized patient records. Dawson’s prescriptions were linked to dozens of deaths, according to court documents.
The plaintiffs were represented by Scott Segal of Segal Law Firm.
Subaru was represented by the law firm Spencer Shuford.
The case was assigned to Circuit Judge Jennifer Bailey.
