Chrysler car dealership sign which also includes Dodge Jeep and RAM
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
March 17, 2024 ·  1 min read

Car Owner Who Left Jeep at Dealership Gets Sued After Worker Dies During Oil Change

A Jeep owner was sued because his car was involved in a deadly accident. The automobile owner had simply taken his car for an oil change at the Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership in Detroit Michigan. There, a 19-year-old mechanic had tried to change the oil and that is when the tragedy took place. As attorney David Femminineo said, “He starts the car, removes his foot from the clutch, and you know what happens? The Jeep jumps and kills my client.

Jeep Left for Oil Change Kills Mechanic

The Jeep had hit Jeffrey Hawkins, a 42-year-old mechanic at the dealership. His attorney mentioned, “He was an excellent man. The 2-year-old who was about 1 at the time of the accident, the time of the death, he’ll never know his father.” According to witnesses, Hawkins died instantly.

Jeff Hawkins, the 42-year-old killed by the Jeep.
Image Credits: FOX2

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When Fox 2 asked the attorney if the young mechanic knew how to drive a stick, Femminineo replied, “He didn’t know how to drive a stick, and he had no license.” But this begets the question- why was he hired then and why could the dealership not be sued? “We can’t [sue] because of a legal standard that is involved,” Femminineo said.

Interestingly, Femminineo says that the owner of the Jeep should be held responsible. In fact, that was the only course of action left. The attorney mentioned, “When you hand your car over to anybody including the valet or the person at the service desk at your local dealership, you better be able to trust that person.” When FOX 2 asked the Jeep’s owner for comment, he simply stated that he would be fighting the case. And to be fair, no one had any other option.

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