Man's lawsuit against Flying J settled

A Texas man who said he was injured when an air pump hose exploded in his hand at the Flying J Travel Center in Tucumcari has settled his lawsuit against the company.

Mikhail Franklin of El Paso initially filed the suit on Nov. 7 in Tucumcari district court against Pilot Travel Centers LLC, which owns and operates the Flying J on South Mountain Road in Tucumcari.

According to online court documents, the suit on Dec. 9 was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled at a later date, because of a settlement.

“Pilot Travel Centers is not accepting liability or fault regarding the matter, but Mr. Franklin and Pilot Travel Centers did settle for an undisclosed amount,” stated in an email Kelly Stoker, paralegal for Dominguez Law Firm in Albuquerque, which filed the suit on Franklin’s behalf.

The lawsuit stated Franklin was at the Tucumcari Flying J on July 25, 2021, when he attempted to use an air pump machine that “unexpectedly exploded in his grasp without warning.”

Franklin suffered “significant” abrasions and burns to his arm, the suit stated.

Pilot Travel Centers did not respond to an emailed request for comment.