Traffic accidents in Georgia can be scary and damaging enough, but crashes that involve large tractor-trailers are often extremely dangerous and sometimes even fatal. Those who are lucky enough to survive such truck accidents are often left with huge medical bills and life-changing injuries.
A Georgia jury recently awarded the survivor of a horrific truck accident $15 million. after the trucking company that employed the driver was found responsible in a civil trial. The truck driver had previously been found criminally liable for the crash. The highly-publicized accident involved seven cars and occurred when the truck driver failed to notice that traffic had come to a stop. It is estimated that he was driving 70 miles per hour at the time of the accident.
The verdict was less than the plaintiff’s lawyer had wanted. The attorney for the trucking company conceded that it owed the plaintiff for her medical expenses and was hoping for an amount that was “fair.” Five people were killed in the crash and the plaintiff testified that she continues to suffer from a traumatic brain injury. She was discharged from the hospital the following day after the accident but reportedly spent time at another medical facility. The families of one other survivor and those who died also filed lawsuits against the trucking company, all of which were settled outside of the courtroom.
Victims of crashes involving large trucks often suffer lasting emotional and financial consequences. Those whose lives have been affected by a collision with a truck may wish to contact an experienced attorney.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Survivor gets $15M in deadly pileup that killed nursing students,” Raisa Habersham, Jan. 20, 2017
