CHARLESTON — A Chloe couple is suing Stepp & Sons alleging injuries from a car accident, but the defendants deny the allegations against them.
Stepp & Sons Inc. and Nicholas P. Sampson were both named as defendants in the suit.
Sandi Inc. is doing business as Stepp & Sons.
Jacob Morris and Megan Morris were traveling in Jacob Morris' 2017 Ford Edge on Interstate 77 and Interstate 64 en route for a well-baby check for their six-month-old infant son and their two-year-old son was also in the vehicle, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Circuit Court.
The Morrises claim because the traffic was directed into one lane in advance of the road construction, the motor vehicles slowed down and traffic became congested to the point that the motor vehicles were stopped or moving extremely slow.
Sampson, while operating a 2018 Chevrolet Silverado owned by Stepp & Sons, failed to observe the road conditions and struck the Morris vehicle, which, in turn, caused the Morris vehicle to strike the vehicle in front of it, according to the suit.
"The severity of the collisions caused Plaintiffs great bodily injury and caused them to incur substantial damage to their vehicle," the complaint states.
The Morrises claim Sampson failed in his duty to properly drive on the road and Stepp & Sons is liable because it had entrusted its vehicle to Sampson.
The Morrises are seeking compensatory damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. They are represented by R. Scott Long, Raj A. Shah, David F. Nelson and John K. Cecil of Hendrickson & Long in Charleston.
The defendants argue in their answer that they committed no act that caused or contributed to the damages.
"These defendants state that they did not perform any wrongful acts or omissions as alleged by the Plaintiffs," the answer states.
The defendants argue that the injuries and damages the plaintiffs allege in their complaint were the cause or result of the plaintiffs' contributory and/or comparative negligence and/or the negligent acts or omissions of third persons other than the defendants.
The defendants are represented by Christopher C. Ross and Omar D. Ahmad of Pullin Fowler Flanagan Brown & Poe in Charleston.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Carrie Webster.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 23-C-582
