South Carolina Lawyers Weekly
A man who visited a Ford dealership looking for a truck but left with two broken kneecaps has settled his personal injury lawsuit for $435,000, his attorney has reported.
According to an attorney for Randall Williamson, Thomas “Field” Dunaway of the Dunaway Law Firm in Anderson, Williamson, his wife, and his son went to Anderson Ford on Feb. 22, 2017, to look at a truck Williamson’s son was interested in buying. A salesman, defendant Shane Lear, pulled his golf cart beside the family and offered to drive them around the lot to look at trucks. As the 57-year-old Williamson was about to sit down on the rear-facing seat, Dunaway said, Lear “negligently” and “abruptly” accelerated, dragging Williamson 25 feet until he fell onto his knees, breaking both kneecaps.
Williamson alleged, among other things, that Ford failed to maintain a safe premises for the public and created a dangerous situation by allowing Lear to drive in a reckless manner. Video recordings provided by the dealership were helpful in establishing negligence, Dunaway said, making the case all about damages.
The initial demand, according to Dunaway, was $1 million.
“We agreed to mediate the case but stalled out at $220,000, so we agreed to resume mediation after a few more depositions were taken,” Dunaway wrote in an email. “The defense attorney, Denny P. Major, was a pleasure to work with and really helped expedite this settlement via email, avoiding the need to resume a second mediation.”
Dunaway said that because of his injuries, Williamson was unable to perform his job as the head of maintenance for an Anderson school district, a “huge deal and financial loss for his family.”
“They were struggling for the entire year that it took to settle this case,” Dunaway said.
SETTLEMENT REPORT — PERSONAL INJURY
Amount: $435,000
Injuries alleged: Two broken kneecaps
Case name: Randall Williamson v. Anderson Ford, LLC and Shane Lear
Court: Anderson County Court of Common Pleas
Case No.: 2017-CP-04-734
Judge: Settlement reached before hearing
Date of settlement: April 2
Attorneys for plaintiff: Tom W. Dunaway III and Thomas “Field” Dunaway IV of the Dunaway Law Firm in Anderson
Attorney for defendant: Denny P. Major of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd in Greenville
Follow Heath Hamacher on Twitter @SCLWHamacher
