Kosciusko Family Suing Watercraft Dealer Over Explosion
October 19, 2018 at 5:20 p.m.
Kosciusko Family Suing Watercraft Dealer Over Explosion
By David [email protected]
According to a lawsuit filed Oct. 11 in Kosciusko County Superior Court I, Evan Tucker Campbell and his parents, Darren and Nancy Campbell, are seeking judgment against ShortSleeve Motorsports LLC “in an amount that will reasonably and fairly compensate them for all the losses and damages incurred to date and will incur in the future.”
They seek a jury trial in the matter.
The Campbells own a 2015 Sea-Doo Spark personal watercraft, sold and serviced by ShortSleeve, 351 W. Washington St., Upland. ShortSleeve sells and services products including personal watercrafts, the lawsuit states.
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The Campbells purchased the watercraft new from ShortSleeve on July 10, 2015. The Campbells regularly had the product winterized and serviced at ShortSleeve since they purchased it there.
In fall 2017, the Campbells’ watercraft was winterized by ShortSleeve. There were no reported problems when it was winterized, according to the lawsuit.
On May 14, 2018, the Campbells had the watercraft serviced by ShortSleeve for summer use.
After ShortSleeve finished its work, Darren took the watercraft to Tippecanoe Lake to launch. It ran rough and the steering did not function properly.
The Campbells took the product back to ShortSleeve for service. An employee inspected it and apologized, realizing that he had forgotten to properly hook up the steering apparatus. The employee also noticed that something was wrong with the spark plugs, which would cause the Sea-Doo to run rough. ShortSleeve agreed to fix the steering cable and replace the spark plugs at no charge, the lawsuit states.
On May 28, the Campbells took the watercraft back to Tippecanoe Lake. Evan took the Sea-Doo out on the lake for about a minute to ensure the steering was fixed. The watercraft ran well so he took it to the gas station near the boat ramp of Tippy Dance Hall Marina in Leesburg.
To access the fuel cap, the seat has to be removed. A marina attendant filled the watercraft with about a half-tank of gasoline.
After the gasoline was put in and the gas cap and seat put back on, Evan tried to start the watercraft, but it wouldn’t start. He attempted several times to start the watercraft by pushing the ignition switch, as he had done many times before. The marina owner attempted to help Evan get it started.
Upon one ignition attempt, an explosion sounding like a gunshot occurred in the area of the engine compartment. Heat and fire exited the engine compartment through an opening, causing second- and third-degree burns to Evan’s left leg and arm.
He was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, where he received medical care at the burn center.
The lawsuit states the explosion caused severe physical and mental injuries to Evan, among other damages. It also caused Darren and Nancy to incur significant medical costs on Evan’s behalf.
The lawsuit seeks to recover all lawful damages resulting from the explosion. It says ShortSleeve’s failure to live up to its duty directly and proximately led to the explosion and the damages suffered by the Campbells.
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According to a lawsuit filed Oct. 11 in Kosciusko County Superior Court I, Evan Tucker Campbell and his parents, Darren and Nancy Campbell, are seeking judgment against ShortSleeve Motorsports LLC “in an amount that will reasonably and fairly compensate them for all the losses and damages incurred to date and will incur in the future.”
They seek a jury trial in the matter.
The Campbells own a 2015 Sea-Doo Spark personal watercraft, sold and serviced by ShortSleeve, 351 W. Washington St., Upland. ShortSleeve sells and services products including personal watercrafts, the lawsuit states.
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The Campbells purchased the watercraft new from ShortSleeve on July 10, 2015. The Campbells regularly had the product winterized and serviced at ShortSleeve since they purchased it there.
In fall 2017, the Campbells’ watercraft was winterized by ShortSleeve. There were no reported problems when it was winterized, according to the lawsuit.
On May 14, 2018, the Campbells had the watercraft serviced by ShortSleeve for summer use.
After ShortSleeve finished its work, Darren took the watercraft to Tippecanoe Lake to launch. It ran rough and the steering did not function properly.
The Campbells took the product back to ShortSleeve for service. An employee inspected it and apologized, realizing that he had forgotten to properly hook up the steering apparatus. The employee also noticed that something was wrong with the spark plugs, which would cause the Sea-Doo to run rough. ShortSleeve agreed to fix the steering cable and replace the spark plugs at no charge, the lawsuit states.
On May 28, the Campbells took the watercraft back to Tippecanoe Lake. Evan took the Sea-Doo out on the lake for about a minute to ensure the steering was fixed. The watercraft ran well so he took it to the gas station near the boat ramp of Tippy Dance Hall Marina in Leesburg.
To access the fuel cap, the seat has to be removed. A marina attendant filled the watercraft with about a half-tank of gasoline.
After the gasoline was put in and the gas cap and seat put back on, Evan tried to start the watercraft, but it wouldn’t start. He attempted several times to start the watercraft by pushing the ignition switch, as he had done many times before. The marina owner attempted to help Evan get it started.
Upon one ignition attempt, an explosion sounding like a gunshot occurred in the area of the engine compartment. Heat and fire exited the engine compartment through an opening, causing second- and third-degree burns to Evan’s left leg and arm.
He was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne, where he received medical care at the burn center.
The lawsuit states the explosion caused severe physical and mental injuries to Evan, among other damages. It also caused Darren and Nancy to incur significant medical costs on Evan’s behalf.
The lawsuit seeks to recover all lawful damages resulting from the explosion. It says ShortSleeve’s failure to live up to its duty directly and proximately led to the explosion and the damages suffered by the Campbells.
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