Boy stuck with hypodermic sues cab company
2002-02-01Valerie Schremp of The St. Charles County Post- February 1, 2002
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
FIVE STAR LIFT (Copyright 2002)
The mother of a St. Charles boy who was accidentally stuck with a hypodermic needle in a taxicab in 1999 has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the cabdriver and the cab company.
Shawn Hardy filed the suit on the behalf of her son, Beamer Aston, 15, against St. Charles Yellow Cab and the cabdriver, Kevin L. Meyer, 34, of St. Charles.
Derek Rudman, the attorney for Hardy and her son, said, "It's been a nightmare for them. Based upon the incident, how they were treated during the incident themselves from the cab company, based upon him having to be monitored for long periods of time. ... He received a lot of comments against him, like 'AIDS boy,' and things like that. It just kind of affected his reputation among his community and his peers."
The suit seeks at least $25,000 in damages. Beamer was 12 when Meyer picked him up in the cab from Jefferson Middle School in St. Charles to take him to Harris Elementary School in St. Charles, where he was a volunteer in a latchkey program.
At the time, Beamer said, he bent down to tie his shoe and the needle "was sticking out of the seat and pricked the index finger of my left hand."
He asked why the needle was there, and Meyer said he was diabetic, Beamer said. He gave the needle to Meyer, who put it in the glove compartment, Beamer said.
Meyer was later tested for both drugs and HIV, and the tests were negative.
Beamer's blood tests came back normal. The cab company's general manager at the time said that Meyer is not a diabetic, and Meyer denied telling the boy the needle belonged to him.
Beamer was given a prescription for a drug called Combivir. Rudman, the attorney, says he believes Beamer continues to receive blood tests to make sure he is OK.
The suit, filed Jan. 23, says that Meyer "had a duty to maintain premises in a safe condition for an invitee" and that he was negligent in that he "caused a dangerous condition to exist."
The suit says that Beamer's medical bills were $5,495.26 and that he could require additional treatment. It also says he suffered "medically diagnosable and medically significant emotional distress."
Rudman said the cab company had not offered Hardy and Beamer any money from the insurance coverage it had and that coverage was not enough anyway. Meyer and St. Charles Yellow Cab have 30 days from the filing date to respond to the lawsuit.