DETROIT – A mother of seven is suing a gas station in Southwest Detroit after watered down gasoline left her without a car for two weeks.
Claudia Calderon said she filled up her car with watered down fuel at the Citgo gas station on West Vernor Highway on May 5 and it caused extreme damage to her only mode of transportation.
Calderon lives a busy life -- she takes care of seven children and works full-time as a chef -- and said her car is mandatory to keep it all together.
"It's important," Calderon said. "It's my everything."
Minutes after filling her car's tank, her car stopped on the freeway. While her car was with mechanics, she filled up her other car, and then was told the gas was the issue.
"The fuel pump had water," Calderon said. "The gas had water."
When the gas station was told about the bad gas, Calderon said they blew her off as they continued to sell the gasoline to other drivers. She said a friend's car broke down from bad gas and the staff responded in the same way, but Calderon wasn't going to take no for an answer. She reported the business to the state.
"The owner knew about it. She came and told him and he refused to do anything," said Calderon's attorney, Majed Moughni.
State inspectors found water mixed in the gas, instituted a $1,500 fine on the business and ordered them to make emergency repairs. With her own repair bills in hand, Calderon has started a class-action lawsuit against the Citgo gas station.
"It is very important," Calderon said. "Without a car, I cannot do much."
It isn't the first time this problem has occurred. Over Memorial Day weekend, several drivers were stalled in Detroit after filling their cars at the Marathon gas station at Fort Street and Trumbell Avenue.
However, the owners of the Marathon gas station agreed to pay for damages.