Jury Awards More Than a Million Dollars to Man for Truck Accident
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.
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."
More Safety & Compliance
PrePass, Kodiak Connect Driverless Trucks to Roadside Enforcement
The system will allow enforcement agencies to verify Enhanced Inspection information and decide whether Kodiak’s autonomous trucks can bypass roadside screening sites.
Read More →
From One Generation to the Next: How Mentorship Builds Safer Truck Drivers
After three decades in trucking, Harold Perry shares what he's learned about driver safety, mentorship, and helping the next generation build confidence behind the wheel.
Read More →
FMCSA Pauses Biennial-Update Enforcement Amid Motus Transition
Carriers whose updates were due on or after June 1 have more time, while FMCSA works to stabilize its new registration system and warns of phishing sites impersonating its new carrier registration system, Motus.
Read More →
ZF Expands Commercial Vehicle Push in North America
ZF is expanding its North American commercial-vehicle presence with new transmission applications, electrification, trailer technology and autonomous-driving systems.
Read More →
Truck Drivers Need More Than Another Alert
Fleets have more visibility into truck health, safety events, and driver activity than ever. The next challenge is turning all that information into useful guidance for the person who has to decide what to do next.
Read More →
Tesla Wants a Self-Driving Semi. Are Cameras Enough?
Could Tesla’s camera-only autonomous driving technology work on an 80,000-pound Semi? In this commentary, HDT's Deborah Lockridge takes a look at Tesla, Cybercab, and how autonomous trucks see the road.
Read More →
What DOT’s Automated Vehicle Strategy Means for Trucking
The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a new automated-vehicle strategy that outlines plans for driverless-truck regulations, cross-state freight corridors, and federal safety standards.
Read More →
NYC Expands Speed, Pedestrian Safety Tech Across Fleet
New York City is expanding intelligent speed assistance and pedestrian-alert systems across its municipal fleet, moving the technologies from pilot programs into vehicle procurement and retrofit requirements.
Read More →
FMCSA Removes 110 Truck Driver Training Schools from Certified ELDT List
Federal regulators also are targeting more than 160 additional training providers and launching a nationwide audit of third-party CDL skills testers as part of a broader crackdown on trucking fraud.
Read More →
Beyond DOT Compliance: What Makes a Trucking Fleet Truly Safe?
A trucking fleet can follow every rule and still make unsafe decisions. The real test comes when safety conflicts with freight, productivity, or cost.
Read More →