PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Court records show a settlement has been reached after a deadly fire in 2021 at a Circle K in Pinellas County.
The deadly fire happened just days before Christmas on Dec. 22, 2021.
Sheryll Caballes, a mother of five, was killed after being pinned against her own vehicle and a fuel dispenser. She was pumping gasoline at the Circle K on East Lake Road in Palm Harbor when another driver backed into the fuel dispenser, knocking it over.
Her two children witnessed the incident including her daughter, Savannah. She was 14 at the time.
"I just remember sitting there, and then I was just on my phone, and I felt the impact. I was a little bit confused. My reaction was to get out of the car so me and my brother got out of the car," said Savannah.
Savannah spoke to ABC Action News about witnessing her mother's death.
"I know I ran inside and asked the attendant for help. I remember calling 911. I remember my brother got the fire extinguisher and tried putting out the fire," she said.
Savannah and her brother were unable to pull their mother to safety. She was trapped against the vehicle and fuel dispenser.
"It felt like forever until I heard the sirens and then by the time they were there, the world stopped moving, basically," she said.
In 2022, the family filed a lawsuit against more than 15 defendants, including Circle K.
In October of 2024, court records indicated the family settled with Circle K. Details of the settlement are not public record.
"We feel like it's a good settlement for the family to put this process behind them," said Attorney Richard Millian.
Attorney Richard Millian represented the Caballes family. He said an additional bollard could have prevented Sheryll's death.
"At this gas station, it only had the outside bollard. It did not have the inside bollard," he said.
Millian said the law firm also ran a series of crash tests showing the effectiveness of those devices.
Millian said their case also focused on several malfunctions, including issues with a shear valve and an emergency stop button.
"Whether it was pressed or not or whether it worked or not was one of the issues of the case. The final one was underneath the fuel pump are shear valves, and our position was that the shear valve did not close properly and therefore, fuel kept getting out and dispensing into this fire and kept the fire going longer than it should have," said Millian.
Savannah said her mother was their biggest supporter. She worked as a nurse and had a creative side.
"Me and my siblings, we all played sports. We all played instruments, so the schedule we had for her was very chaotic and busy, but she made sure to show up for all of us."
"She was really artsy. She loved sewing...I think that's where I get my love of art," she added.
Savannah said the incident forced her to grow up quickly and become more independent.
"We just learned the ways of life maybe matured a little bit quicker," said Savannah.
"The best I can do is try to honor her in my day to day life, especially with my big goals and accomplishments. Just hoping it honors her. I just want to be able to spread love and kindness everywhere you go. Honestly, you never know when it's somebody's last day."
ABC Action News reached out to the attorney who represented Circle K and its corporate office but did not hear back.
In less than two months, more than 100 people have contacted the ABC Action News I-Team, saying they are stuck waiting on unemployment benefits and are growing more desperate by the day.
