It is said that the moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice. This was recently proved true in the case of a Mayfield Heights family that was finally awarded a major, decisive award from a trucking firm in the case of a fatal 2005 trucking accident.
Rita and Dimitry Karpov were traveling on an Indiana toll road, and traffic ahead of them slowed down, as it tends to do from time to time. A large semi truck behind them did not brake as quickly as the others on the highway, and crashed into the stopped cars. Dimitry was killed, as were three others in several different vehicles. Rita was seriously injured in the collision as well. Later, it was explained that the driver of the truck had dropped his sunglasses and leaned over to retrieve them, thus dividing his attention from the road long enough to have fatal consequences.
The award that was finally settled on was a total of $15 million, which would normally be a compelling award and a warning to irresponsible trucking drivers, but this story comes with an unfortunate twist. The owners of the original company have apparently been playing a shell game, transferring their assets to a number of other companies. Officials for the original company haven’t been present at court for more than a year, leading to accusations of fraud. Attorneys involved in the case describe it as a deliberate attempt to mislead and confuse the asset trail in order to avoid having to pay the judgment.
This is why experienced trucking accident attorneys are worth seeking out for advice and counsel in any circumstance. In a just world, the owners of the company would have paid Rita Karpov immediately. Instead, she is going to have to continue to fight for her due restitution, even though it should have been settled already with the $15 million judgment.
