Virginia Lawyers Weekly VA Lawyers Weekly
Type of action: Negligence, personal injury
Injuries alleged: Concussion, subdural hematoma
Name of case: Sheckels v. Handley Motor Company Inc.
Court: Fairfax County Circuit Court
Case no.: CL 2020-11058
Tried before: Jury
Name of judge or mediator: Judge Penney S. Azcarate
Date resolved: 2/10/2022
Special damages: Medicals of $21,500; lost wages of $24,000
Demand: $75,000
Offer: $125,000
Verdict or settlement: Verdict
Amount: $200,000
Attorney for plaintiff (and city): Peter M. Baskin, Fairfax
Description of case: Plaintiff went to defendant dealership, Safford Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat, on May 21, 2019 for routine 10,000 mile servicing of his new Dodge pickup truck. The included a tire/wheel rotation. Upon completion of the service, plaintiff drove from Safford, and within two miles of leaving the dealership, the left rear wheel separated from the vehicle, became wedged underneath the rear of the vehicle, lifting it sharply off the pavement and immediately causing the rear to drop to the pavement, and abruptly stop in the roadway causing plaintiff to strike his head on an interior grab handle. Later in the day, plaintiff developed the classic symptoms of a concussion and subdural hematoma. Symptoms fully resolved after six months. The principle claim for damages focused on past, ongoing and future mental anguish. Defendant contended that, upon plaintiff’s full recovery from the concussion six months later, mental anguish damages were not thereafter appropriate. Liability was admitted by defendant, leaving damages as the sole issue for jury determination.
Peter M. Baskin, counsel for the plaintiff, provided case information.
[022-T-043]
