Family Blames Doctor for Son’s Strange Death

RICHMOND, Va. (CN) — Relatives of a man killed when a car came crashing through his home at 119 miles per hour are seeking $7.5 million from the doctor who cleared the vehicle's seizure-prone driver to get behind the wheel.

In a complaint filed in the Richmond City Circuit Court, the family of William Hillsman says he was sitting in the kitchen of his North Chesterfield, Va. home on Feb. 26, 2015, when he was struck and killed by a car that barreled straight through the front of his house and wound up in the backyard where it came to an abrupt stop.

According to the complaint, the driver of the car, David Limbrick, had experienced a seizure at the time of the accident which caused him to veer off the road and crash into the home.

Hillsman died on impact, the family says.

Prior to the accident, the complaint says, Dr. G. Joseph Mehfoud, Limbrick's physician at Commonwealth Primary Care Inc., recommended Limbrick not drive until they determined the cause of his recurring seizures and loss of consciousness.

Initially, Mehfoud thought Limbrick had suffered a fainting spell until his second episode a few weeks later, the complaint says.

Mehfoud referred Limbrick to a neurologist who prescribed a course of anti-seizure drugs and advised him to stay off the road for another six months.

"Treatment notes indicate that Dr. Mehfoud was 'concerned' about a label of seizure disorder," the May 5 complaint reads.

Limbrick continued to experience seizures nonetheless, and was officially diagnosed with a seizure disorder on Jan. 5, 2015, almost a year after his initial episode, court documents say.

Although he knew that Limbrick's neurologist was still tweaking his dosage of meds, Mehfoud released the patient to drive three weeks later, according to the complaint.

"Dr. Mehfoud directly contradicted the advice and instructions of physicians and staff who had seen Limbrick after these events and who had instructed Limbrick not to drive," Hillsman's family says.

Hillsman's Estate is represented by John Owen of Harman, Claytor, Corrigan & Wellman.

Neither Commonwealth Primary Care nor Mehfoud could be reached for comment.

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