$23 Million

Settlement for Victims of Tractor-Trailer Crash

The Case: On a fall morning in 2019, three teenagers in South Carolina’s Pee Dee region were on their way to school when suddenly a tractor-trailer made a left-hand turn directly in front of their car, causing a horrific collision. The teenagers’ car became lodged under the trailer and after a prolonged extraction period, the driver and backseat passenger were eventually pulled from the wreckage. Both suffered major orthopedic and mild traumatic brain injuries. Tragically, two days later, the front-seat passenger died after being removed from life support.

The Outcome: This case involved extensive and complex discovery, numerous depositions, and underscored the important role that technology plays in the aftermath of tractor-trailer accidents. Knowing that it’s paramount to swiftly obtain driver data following an accident, our team immediately filed a lawsuit in state court. We also dug into the trucking company’s policies and procedures, safety record, and previous safety violations. We found that the truck driver was in violation of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations regarding the amount of hours he’d worked at the time of this collision, and should not have been on the road due to his lengthy violation history.

After years of relentless digging to uncover evidence despite a highly contentious process, our teams and clients were ready for court. Fortunately, parties were able to reach a settlement on the eve of the discovery deadline. In total, the global settlement was for $23,050,000.