A Georgia jury delivered a $280 million verdict for a fatal accident caused by a steel hauling truck, which is believed to be the largest ever against a transportation company. As reported by FreightWaves and published through Yahoo! Finance, the jury deliberated for 45 minutes to reach its conclusion. The jurors decided in favor of the victims’ surviving family member who had filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
At Sam Dennis Law, we understand how a tragic accident can cause you and your family grief, pain and emotional suffering when there is a sudden and preventable death. While a lawsuit’s financial compensation can never make up for the loss of a loved one, it may help in providing some closure over the unfortunate events that took place.
For the surviving family members of the five victims who were fatally struck head-on by a semi-truck, the jury determined that two separate companies were liable for the driver’s actions. Allegedly, the truck driver was making a haul for a scrap metal company, which is a subsidiary of a steel company that hired him.
The surviving family members were able to provide the court with proof that the fatigued truck driver fell asleep and crossed the two-lane highway’s center line. There was evidence that the SUV driven by the victim had brake skid marks, but there were no marks from the semi-truck braking. In defense, the semi-truck driver claimed he was trying to avoid hitting a dog that jumped out in front of him from a ditch. It was not strong enough, however, for him to avoid facing criminal charges with his employers being held responsible for the surviving family’s relief.
Our page on truck accidents provides more information on how you may file a legal action to receive compensation as a means to move forward.
