An Illinois jury last Friday returned a verdict in favor of a 37 year-old Troy, Illinois man, awarding him nearly $1.3 million that stemmed from him being hit by a tractor-trailer.

According to a release from lawyers, the plaintiff, Tim Balota, testified that he was injured when he was stopped in a construction zone and was rear-ended on I-55/70 and Illinois Route 157 on May 20, 2008, by a Trans Am Trucking tractor-trailer traveling between 20 and 30 mph.

His attorneys claimed in court Balota was on his way back to St. Louis University hospital for follow-up care from a 2007 serious life-threatening car accident where he was a passenger. A doctor testified that Balota suffered cervical disc injuries and an aggravation of his pre-existing mid and low back injuries from his first accident.

Trans Am denied liability and blamed another trucking company for the crash. Trans Am also blamed the prior accident of 2007 for his injuries and recommended that the jury award $4,900.

"Balota testified that the crash resulted in two impacts,” said Robert Schmieder II, lawyer for the plaintiff. “The first when he was struck from behind. The second occurred when his truck was thrust forward into another vehicle. In total, two tractor trailers and three cars were involved in the wreck."