Unrelated lawsuits filed in Maricopa County Superior Court last month allege negligence by two auto repair and service companies, including one case in which a woman was seriously injured when her car’s front tires fell off on the freeway. The other case alleges a pickup truck was a total loss after it caught fire days after an oil change.
Court records show Pep Boys, Inc. was sued Feb. 15 by Jack Salvatore, the attorney for Victoria French. The negligence lawsuit alleges French suffered “severe and permanent injuries” after she took her vehicle to Pep Boys in Chandler on Feb. 17, 2019 for repairs on the front end of her vehicle.
According to the lawsuit, the vehicle was later returned to French and she left the business.
“However, within approximately 20 miles of driving after the supposed ‘repairs’ were completed, and as Plaintiff proceeded westbound on the 202 freeway in Phoenix, both front wheels of her vehicle fell off the vehicle, resulting in Plaintiff losing control of her vehicle and smashing into a wall,” the lawsuit states.
French is seeking damages for past and future medical expenses, as well as lost wages and future impaired earning capacity. She is also asking for “such other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper under the circumstances.”
Pep Boys will have 20 days to file an answer with the court once the lawsuit is formally served.
On Feb. 16, an attorney for Pekin Insurance Company filed a subrogation lawsuit in Maricopa County Superior Court seeking more than $10,000 from Team Car Care West, doing business as Jiffy Lube. Subrogation allows an insurance company to pursue a claim against a third party to recover monies the company paid out on behalf of an insured.
The Pekin lawsuit alleges a 2008 Dodge Ram owned by an insured was serviced at a Jiffy Lube location in Tucson on Feb. 20, 2019. Four days later, the vehicle started “to spark” and then caught fire.
Pekin is seeking nearly $10,500 in damages it paid out to its insured for the value of the pickup. It also seeks court costs and interest against Jiffy Lube, which was served with the lawsuit on Feb. 25.
An answer must be filed with the court by the end of the week, according to court rules.