A settlement agreement has finally been reached in the case involving 7-year-old Kavontea Devon Shuler who died following a car crash that occurred on December 8, 2018, in Orangeburg County, SC. Shuler had just attended a wedding where he served as a ring bearer. While Shuler’s mother left the wedding to attend the reception, she allowed her son to remain in the care of a cousin, reports The Times and Democrat. That family member then allowed Shuler to ride with Keith Alexander Ragin without his mother’s knowledge as he had a son who was a childhood friend of Shuler’s.
Sadly, on the way home, Ragin lost control of his vehicle which then overturned in a ditch. Shuler had been riding in the front seat at the time although he was said to have been buckled. Unfortunately, he was the only one who was ejected from the vehicle. The series of events that followed are likely what sparked a lawsuit to be filed on behalf of Shuler.
According to the lawsuit, Orangeburg County EMS was contacted at around 9:50 p.m. and arrived by 10:07 p.m. where they found Shuler receiving aid from an Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office deputy. EMS was allegedly aware Shuler had suffered an injury to his shoulder after they arrived. After about 20 minutes, EMS finally left the scene with Shuler although the suit claims no lights or sirens were used to expedite the trip to the hospital.
In fact, Shuler’s mother arrived at the hospital before her son as she had been informed that he had been involved in an accident.
The lawsuit goes on to explain that it wasn’t until 10:46 p.m. that Shuler was seen by an emergency room physician and then a trauma surgeon at 10:52 p.m. The ER physician was said to have drafted paperwork for Shuler to be transferred to Palmetto Health Richland in Columbia at 11:54 p.m. and indicated that he would be taken by ambulance. Then at 1:44 a.m. as medical staff attempted to transfer Shuler to the hospital, his heart began to slow, and CPR was performed.
The source says that by 2:14 a.m., the 7-year-old was pronounced dead. An autopsy later revealed that Shuler had suffered severe internal injuries including liver lacerations, lacerations to both of his kidneys, soft tissue hemorrhaging, blood in his right and left chest cavity and his abdominal area, and contusions to his head and lungs. The lawsuit named Orangeburg County as well as Regional Medical Center (RMC) as defendants in the lawsuit. Apparently, no ultrasound or any sort of scans were performed at the time of the child’s arrival at the hospital that would have determined he had suffered internal injuries.
Although the defendants didn’t admit liability, they did agree to settle with Shuler’s estate.
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident or a physician failed to provide you with the standard level of care which resulted in you being harmed, the Columbia, SC personal injury attorneys at Louthian Law Firm, P.A. are here to help you seek justice for your injuries and losses.
Louthian Law Firm, P.A. can be reached at:
1116 Blanding Street, #3A
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: 888-316-9040
Website: www.louthianlaw.com
Bert Louthian has been practicing law in Columbia with his father, Herb, since 1985. After receiving his Juris Doctorate from the University of South Carolina, Bert launched his legal career in his father’s firm. With 80 years of legal experience between them, Louthian Law, P.A. remains Family-Owned and Family-Focused.
Bert understands that when life goes wrong – when you or someone you love gets hurt or suffers a loss, it can feel like nothing will ever be right or fair again. He gets up and goes to work every day to prove that feeling wrong – and does everything in his power to make things right again.
