EUCLID, Ohio (WJW) – A lawsuit was filed Thursday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court alleging a local automobile repair shop did not “exercise reasonable care in repairing and/or replacing all of the malfunctioning or damaged components” of a vehicle they were paid to fix. Two days later that car caused a crash that seriously injured a 64-year-old woman.
Attorney Tom Merriman filed the suit on behalf of Margaret Hardaway, of Euclid. Rainbow Muffler and Brake, as well as the driver of the vehicle, and several others are named as defendants.
An official with Rainbow Muffler and Brake said he has not yet reviewed the lawsuit, so he is unable to discuss it at this time. However, he did say he is glad Hardaway is doing better and wishes her all the best.
Hardaway suffered several injuries when she was struck by a car on March 6, 2019, while she was waiting for a bus.
“The video shows the car shooting down the hill on Richmond,” Merriman said.
Dash camera video shows a car that was driving on the side of the road go through a red light. The car was hit by another vehicle which then struck Hardaway.
“I was just trying to go to work,” Hardaway said. “That happened on a Wednesday and I was not fully conscious until that Sunday.”
She spent several weeks in the hospital and is still unable to return to work.
“The mechanic who was assigned to the car was not certified in this country to repair cars or diagnose brakes and they botched the repair,” Merriman said.
The suit has been assigned to Judge David Matia. A pretrial date has not yet been set.
