When trucks are involved in accidents rarely to the accidents involve minor injuries. The fact that truck accidents involve serious injuries is demonstrated by the size of some of the recent jury verdicts in truck accident cases.
Here’s a round-up of recent verdicts involving tractor-trailer crashes that have been handed down across the country:
$87 million – A Texas man who was partially paralyzed after a 6-ton U-Haul truck rolled over him was awarded the amount by a Dallas County jury. The man was helping his daughter move when the accident occurred. It was alleged that U-Haul rented a truck with a faulty emergency brake and worn gears.
$36.3 million – A father of eight in Arizona was killed when a Swift Transportation semi ran a stop sign and plowed into the Suburban he was driving. Just before the crash, the tractor-trailer was going 65 miles per hour and didn’t slow down even after crossing three sets of rumble strips that warn of the impending stop sign. All of the driver’s logs, which federal law requires trucking companies to keep, were “lost.” A Maricopa County jury awarded the man’s family $23.1 million in compensatory damages and $13.5 million in punitive damages.
$29.4 million – A big rig smashed into a highway overpass. A family in an SUV swerved to avoid the wreckage of the exploding trailer and was broadsided by another tractor-trailer. The father died as a result of the injuries he suffered and his daughter was injured. The family claimed that driving an over-height trailer was negligent and sued the truck driver, Transport Expressway Inc., which owned the truck, and Finloc, a leasing company with insurance on the trailer. A jury in Orange County, New York made the award.
$20.1 million – A 62-year-old teacher was rear-ended by an electrical supply truck while his vehicle was stopped at a light. The teacher’s ribs were broken in the crash but while he was hospitalized, he developed medical complications and died. A jury in Clayton County, Georgia handed down the wrongful death award.
If you or a loved one has been injured or a family member has been killed in a collision with a large truck, we urge you to contact the Lowe Law Firm by calling 877-678-3400 or filling out our online contact form.
Our trucking-accident attorneys will find out whether the truck driver, trucking company, or trailer owner is responsible for the accident. If so, we will then seek compensation for future and other related medical expenses, future and other affected wages, pain and suffering, disability and/or other related damages.
