Teen bought alcohol at Conway, SC gas station. Then he fell off moving car, lawsuit says
A Conway convenience store is accused of providing alcohol to minors which resulted in at least one of them being injured after climbing on top of a moving vehicle while intoxicated.
A lawsuit filed by the parent of one of the minors, who was 16 at the time of the incident, alleges that Sunhouse Petroleum Store on Oak Street in Conway “is widely known by students of Conway High School as a place for minor children to get alcohol.”
The Sunhouse store, which is subleased by Shankara Enterprises, regularly sells alcoholic beverages to minor children and does not request the age of those buying it, the lawsuit said. It is required by South Carolina law that those purchasing alcohol must be 21 years or older.
A message seeking comment from Sunhouse Petroleum was not returned. A message also was left at what is believed to be a number for Shankara Enterprises.
On June 2, the male minor, identified in the suit as W.G., and another underage child who was 15 at the time, received a 12-pack of Natural Light beer and a 12-pack of Twisted Tea Hard Iced Tea from the Sunhouse Store, the suit claims.
The two minors then met up with another minor, becoming intoxicated while drinking the alcohol, the suit said. A fourth child also joined the group.
The four children then drove around with W.G. and another child in the back seat still drinking. At some point, W.G. and the child climbed on top of the car while it was traveling 30 mph, according to the suit.
W.G. fell from the top of the vehicle and suffered injuries to his brain, head, teeth and back and received permanent impairment and disabilities, the suit said.
The suit is seeking a jury trial and charges that both Shankara and Sunhouse operated with negligence and recklessness. In addition, the suit says that Sunhouse is liable for Shankara’s actions and in-actions that caused the minor’s injuries.
This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
