Jim Meehan

In April 2018, a nine-year-old girl was struck and killed by a passing car after crossing German Road in Seaford, Delaware, to check the mail. The driver, Dwayne McConnell, admitted he was inattentive and fled the scene; the girl had been in the care of her mother's boyfriend, Bryan Winder, while her mother was at work. A Sussex County jury found the girl was not negligent, split fault 90 percent to McConnell and 10 percent to Winder, and returned a verdict of $1,718,069.44 for her mother and her estate. The trial judge later set aside $350,000 of that award for the estate's conscious pain and suffering claim, leaving a judgment of $1,368,069.44 plus interest. Winder's first attempt to appeal was dismissed as premature in January 2026, without prejudice to a new appeal once a final judgment is entered.