A jury has awarded a 40-year-old woman $32.5 million for injuries she sustained in a 2006 truck crash. Kristen Zak, then 31, sustained a traumatic brain injury and developed partial paralysis after the car she was a passenger in slid on any icy patch of road and into a median. There it collided with a transport truck that had crashed into the median just an hour before.
According to the plaintiff’s truck crash attorneys, trucker Terry Brown Jr. had been going too fast and did not follow safety regulations, which required him to put out reflective triangles and turn on the disabled truck’s flashing lights. The jury found Brown and J.B. Hunt Transport 30% liable for Zak’s injuries. Matt Robison, who was driving the car she had been riding when the accident happened, was found 40% liable.
After the truck crash, Zak, who now also suffers from serious cognitive deficits, was left wheelchair-bound and unable to take care of her young daughter or recognize the man who was fiancé.
Zak’s injuries are, unfortunately, not uncommon when a large truck is involved. The impact of crashing into or being struck by such a heavy vehicle, especially when fast speeds are involved, can be catastrophic to victims who have little in the way of safety protections. Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, paralysis, and death can happen.
Just this week, Wal-Mart settled the 18-wheeler truck crash case filed by comedian Tracy Morgan, who was seriously injured after the limo bus he was riding was struck by one of the company’s tractor-trailers in 2013. Killed in the car crash was comedy writer James McNair. It is still not known whether Morgan will fully recover from his traumatic brain injury or will be able to go back to work.
Earlier this month in Massachusetts, a Wilmington truck driver was killed when his dump truck rolled over after striking a guardrail. Police are investigating the cause of the collision. Also earlier this month, in Sudbury, a bicyclist was killed after being hit by a truck.
Massachusetts Truck Crashes
Depending on the specifics of what happened, there may be numerous parties involved that may have played a part in causing your injury or the death of a loved one. While it is important that you get the contact information of the other parties at the scene, you should talk to a lawyer first before allowing their insurer or attorney to enter into any discussions with you.
You should know that many trucking companies are equipped to deal with injury claims and will often try to settle before you can even talk to an attorney. It is not a good idea to sign any paperwork preventing you from accepting future compensation unless you explore your legal options first.
Contact our Boston truck crash lawyers at Altman & Altman, LLP today.
Jury awards Indiana woman $32.5 million for injuries in I-65 crash, Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2105
Morgan, Walmart reach accident settlement, USA Today, May 28, 2015
More Blog Posts:
Massachusetts suspends ET-Plus Guardrail Use Because of Traffic Injury Risks, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, October 21, 2014
Fatal Tractor-Trailer Pedestrian Accident in Worcester, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, May 19, 2015