Pennsylvania Truck Injury Accident Case Summary
A Philadelphia personal injury court jury awarded $900,000 to a roll-off truck driver who collided with a tractor-trailer on I-476 near Philadelphia. Steven Thompson was hauling construction dumpsters in his roll-off truck when he entered the center lane to merge onto I-95 and collided with a tractor-trailer, resulting in the crash that caused serious personal injuries to Thompson.
Truck Injury Accident Lawsuit and Facts
Each driver blamed the other for negligently merging into the center lane. Thompson’s semi-truck injury lawyer claimed cervical and lumbar herniations as well as brain damage manifesting into a mild cognitive impairment. The tractor-trailer driver said that the personal injury victim was unreliable, given his criminal history and a brain injury from 10 years previous that he did not mention in his deposition. Thompson responded that the defense lawyer engaged in spoliation of evidence. This means that there was critical evidence that the defense lawyer did not retain, and it was argued at the personal injury trial that the defendant had something to hide, and the jury was told that by the judge.
Trucking Injury Lawyer Discussion
This case highlights the importance of having a good personal injury lawyer. In this case, the trucking accident attorney for the injured party was able to get the semi-truck driver to admit that he wasn’t paying attention before the injured truck driver started his merge. If he had been more attentive, he would have been able to keep his speed at the proper limit, instead of driving higher than the posted limit. He admitted that he realized he was speeding and tried to slow, but it was too late. That, coupled with the fact that the defense attorney did not retain important crash evidence, resulted in a verdict in favor of the injured victim.