Trucker Awarded More Than $2 Million in Court Decision Over Injuries
Jurors in a St. Louis federal court have handed down a more than $2 million dollar decision to a truck driver as a result of injuries he received while unloading.
Jurors in a St. Louis federal court have handed down a more than $2 million dollar decision to a truck driver as a result of injuries he received while unloading.
Gregory Baird of Oklahoma was unloading his rig in late 2007 when a box weighing nearly 40 pounds fell on his head, leaving him unconscious along with neck and back injuries. It happened inside the trailer, in dark conditions, while at the Dollar General store in Troy, Mich.
The verdict in U.S. District Court was for $4.6 million to Baird and $250,000 to his wife, but the jury also determined he was 52% at fault, reducing the amount proportionally.
In an interview with Baird’s attorney, John D. Anderson, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports jurors believed the trucker should have used some light and not unloaded in the dark.
Anderson told the paper that Baird is still suffering from injuries he received in the mishap.
During the trail, which took 11 days, 10 doctors testified on behalf of Dollar General that Baird was not injured. Dollar General also presented testimony that Baird could have unloaded the next day in the light, but Anderson said his client had just started a new job with his employer, Hogan Trucking, and said if he had waited to unload he would have been fired.
The suit was originally filed in 2011.
Anderson says Baird has filed for workers’ compensation benefits but has never been paid.
Dollar General has yet to publicly comment on the outcome, including whether or not it will appeal.
More Safety & Compliance

ATRI Wants Motor Carriers for Driver-Facing Camera Study
In this new study, the American Transportation Research Institute will explore how driver-facing cameras can impact safety and operational metrics in trucking fleets.
Read More →
Netradyne Intelligence Uses New AI Agents to Automate Response to In-Cab Camera Data
The company called the next-generation in-cab camera safety platform "a fundamental shift from systems that report on what happened to systems that actively drive what should happen next."
Read More →
Mack, Volvo Issue ‘Do Not Drive’ Recall on Possible Wheel-Offs
Owners will be sent advance notice not to operate their affected vehicles until the remedy is performed.
Read More →
Fleetworthy Integrates Lytx Video Snapshots into Safety+ Platform
A new Fleetworthy-Lytx integration gives fleet managers access to video context alongside safety event data, streamlining driver coaching and incident review.
Read More →How Waste Connections is Using Data, Telematics, and AI
How do you manage and maintain more than 18,000 connected trucks? Data. Lots of it.
Read More →
Fleet Advantage: Top Logistics Fleets Outperform National Safety Benchmarks
Fleet Advantage's latest TRUST Safety Index found leading logistics fleets maintained significantly lower out-of-service rates and stronger safety scores than national averages, while highlighting persistent challenges related to tires, brakes, and unsafe driving behaviors.
Read More →
Why Fleet Data Matters More Than Ever at Waste Connections [Watch]
Waste Connections' Chuck Palmer explains how telematics, predictive maintenance, safety analytics, and AI help keep vehicles on the road and drivers safe in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking.
Read More →
Short Takes: How K&B is Using AI
Fleets need to "get on board the train" with AI, says Lance Evans of K&B Transportation in this HDT Talks Trucking Short Takes episode.
Read More →Short Takes: Inside K&B’s Truck Safety Tech
Listen to learn how K&B Transportation uses cellphone-blocking technology, speed management systems, weather geofencing, bridge avoidance tools, and more to improve driver safety.
Read More →
The Biggest Gap in Driverless Trucking Isn’t Tech. It’s Safety Validation
Nauto’s Stefan Heck says autonomous trucks are advancing quickly but proving they’re safe enough for large-scale deployment may be the industry’s hardest challenge.
Read More →
