An Alabama jury recently awarded $24.5 million in a lawsuit filed four Alabama residents died in a 1999 crash with a tractor-trailer.

According to the Birmingham (Ala.) News, the rig driven by Roger D. Walker of Georgia crashed into the rear of a van stopped at a construction zone backup on I-75 near Sweetwater, Tenn. The minivan was shoved under another 18-wheeler, and four people died.
The judgment for $9.5 million in compensatory damages and $15 million in punitive damages was against Walker, as well as Mercer Trucking Co. and ATS Inc. of Georgia, a company that leased the driver's services.
Walker had been hired five days before the accident, and Mercer allegedly put him on the road before learning he had been fired by another company because of his attitude and driving record.