Lawyers Obtain 3.25 Million Dollars In Truck Accident Case
Last Tuesday, our lawyers successfully negotiated a $3,250,000 settlement in a case involving the tragic death of a 64 year old woman in a heavy truck collision. The incident which led to the filing of a lawsuit in federal court in Atlanta, Georgia occurred in the early morning hours of February 5, 2007 on Cobb Parkway in Marietta, Georgia. During the early morning darkness, our clients’ decedent was traveling northbound on Cobb Parkway toward her place of work. Her vehicle struck the rear of a tractor trailer which had stopped in the left lane of the two northbound lanes. The impact caused her vehicle to "underride" the trailer and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was determined that the tractor trailer was illegally occupying the left lane and attempting to make a "wide" right turn from the left lane. Additional investigation by our office discovered that at the time of the incident the tractor trailer driver had methamphetamine and a cocaine metabolite in his blood. Our lawyers retained the services of the former head of toxicology for the Georgia State Crime Lab who determined that the ingestion of the illegal drugs by the truck driver had occurred shortly before, of even during the trip by the driver from North Carolina to Georgia.
In previous blog entries we have discussed the dangers of heavy truck and tractor trailer drivers operating large rigs will under the influence of illegal drugs and the frequency of this illegal activity. This case serves as a tragic reminder of the dangers involved. Unfortunately, many drivers feel the need to resort to illegal stimulant drugs in order to overcome fatigue so that they can drive more miles and earn more money.
