After KC area crash kills 14-year-old daughter, parents sue trucking company, driver
A Kansas City woman and her husband have filed a lawsuit against a Kansas City transportation company after their 14-year-old daughter was killed in a crash involving one of the company’s trucks in March.
The wrongful death suit, filed Friday in Jackson County Court, alleges that Pablo Figueredo, a driver for Medina Transportation LLC, caused a fatal accident on March 30, 2024 by rear-ending a car in which 14-year-old Ava Hoskins was a passenger.
Ava Hoskins had been on her way to church with family friends for Easter Sunday services, according to according to Witherspoon. Figueredo was driving a heavy-duty box truck on Interstate 435 in Jackson County at the time, and when he hit the car, the impact killed Ava.
Shan Hoskins, who lives in Kansas City, is suing Figueredo and Medina Transportation LLC along with her husband Marcus Oliver, who lives in Illinois. The pair has not had any contact with Medina or the driver since the crash, according to Witherspoon.
“[Ava’s] parents have been robbed of a lifetime of moments and memories,” Witherspoon told The Star Wednesday. “The emotional grief of having the life of their 14-year-old child taken from them by a careless truck driver is unconscionable.”
Medina Transportation LLC was not available for comment Wednesday.
Hosksins and Oliver allege that before the fatal crash Figueredo was speeding, tailgating and failed to pay proper attention on the highway, according to the lawsuit.
Hoskins and Oliver also allege that Figueredo did not honk to warn the driver of the car their daughter was in, or try defensive driving tactics such as swerving to avoid a crash.
Medina Transportation LLC. is based in Kansas City and employs four full-time drivers, according to online records. The company mostly moves household goods.
Hoskins and Oliver are seeking more than $100 million to cover costs including emotional damages, punitive damages and their daughter’s lost earning potential. The couple has requested a jury trial.
“Ava’s parents will never see her off on prom night,” Witherspoon said. “They’ll never get to see her walk across the stage and graduate from high school or college. Ava won’t get to start a career, get married, or have a family of her own.”
Since the beginning of 2024, 17 people have died in 14 fatal traffic crashes involving a truck or other commercial motor vehicle, according to Missouri data.
Hoskins, Oliver and Figueredo, along with a representative for Medina Transporation LLC, are scheduled to appear in court in December.
