Partner Wayne Tartline obtained a defense verdict and judgment in a trucking negligence case in Hart County, Georgia.
This case arose from a serious collision that occurred between Plaintiff driving a Lincoln MKX and our client, the driver of a loaded Mack truck tractor trailer rig, in 2015.
Plaintiff was 81 years old at the time of the accident and claimed significant injuries including first and second rib fractures, multiple cervical spine fractures at C6 and C7, thoracic spine fracture at T1, contusions to chest wall and neck, left wrist sprain, multiple large areas of bruising of her body, abrasions to her left arm and leg a left leg skin tear.
The defense, through the use of expert testimony, showed that the illuminated tractor trailer rig was visible in the dark to the Plaintiff driver on the roadway for not less than 1,000 feet prior to the collision. Therefore, Plaintiff could have slowed, steered, or stopped her vehicle within 225 feet and could have avoided the tractor trailer rig and the resultant collision. After several days of trial in November, 2024, a verdict in favor of the Defendant driver and his employer trucking company was issued. A final judgment in favor of Defendants issued on January 14, 2025.
Congratulations to Wayne on this excellent result.