Location: Circuit Court for the City of Richmond
Injuries:
Catastrophic Injuries
Jury Verdict: $950,000
After a four day trial, a jury returned a verdict in favor of Trooper Moyer in the amount of $950,000. During the course of a vehicular pursuit, one of the hubcaps to his police cruiser was lost. In the process of installing a replacement hubcap, Trooper Moyer’s finger came into contact with the razor sharp inner edge of the hubcap’s vent opening resulting in severe laceration to the bone and severance of his flexor tendon. Following surgery for the severed tendon, Trooper Moyer developed a serious complication known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy that resulted in a claw-like contracture of his right hand.
Because a Virginia State Trooper is required to be weapons trained in both hands and capable of effectuating resisted arrest, Trooper Moyer was forced to retire from police work. Plaintiff alleged General Motors Corporation’s product design was faulty, that the product was unreasonably dangerous, and that General Motors had failed to warn of the hidden and dangerous characteristics of the product. After a four day trial, a jury returned a verdict in favor of Trooper Moyer in the amount of $950,000. According to General Motors, this was the first verdict ever obtained against it, or any automotive manufacturer, based upon the design or manufacture of a hubcap/wheel cover.
