Catastrophic Sacramento Truck Accident Results in $4 Million Lawsuit, Part 1 of 3

The following blog entry is written to illustrate how a car accident lawsuit might follow. Reviewing this kind of case should help potential plaintiffs and clients better understand how parties in personal injury cases present such issues to the court.

(Please also note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this car accident lawsuit and its proceedings.)

SUMMARY:
Verdict/Judgment: Plaintiff
Verdict/Judgment Amount: $4,271,079
Range: $2,000,000-$4,999,999
$771,079 awarded on the survivorship claim; $500,000 on the lost consortium claim; and $3,000,000 on the wrongful death claim.
Trial Type: Jury
Trial Length: 8 days.
Deliberations: 2.5 days.

Jury Poll: 11-1 survivorship; 10-2 lost consortium/wrongful death.

CASE INFORMATION

According to Plaintiff: Plaintiffs’ decedent died from injuries sustained when defendants’ truck allegedly crossed over the centerline and collided with decedent’s pickup causing the pickup to move into the path of an oncoming truck. The plaintiffs were Camille Merry and others.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

The defendants were Jerry Travis and ABC Trucking. On June 4, 1998 Walter Merry, a 60-year-old machinist, was driving home from a graveyard work shift, eastbound on Highway 1 (which has one narrow lane in each direction). At approximately 6:00 a.m. Merry, who was driving a Chevy S-10 pickup truck, collided with a 2-1/2 ton Ford truck driven westbound by defendant Jerry Travis, a partner in defendant ABC Trucking. Travis was carrying a travel trailer on the flatbed of his truck and pulling a 5th wheel recreation vehicle. The accident occurred just inside the Sacramento county line.

Although the first impact was not severe, it caused Merry’s pickup to move into the path of an oncoming 1-1/2 ton Chevy truck that was pulling another travel trailer. A massive collision occurred between the pickup and the second truck, which was also working for ABC Trucking. The issue was whether the pickup or the 2-1/2 ton truck crossed over the centerline thereby causing the initial impact. There was no contention that the second truck did anything wrong.

For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.