Maryland Accident Law Blog
In Maryland, Shannon Brown was awarded $1,063,807.37 for the Baltimore City truck accident injuries that she sustained on July 13, 2006. Brown fractured her leg and her right leg was crushed when a gas tanker truck ran a red light and struck the car that she was in. Fortunately, her baby, Elijah, was not injured even though he was in the car with her.
Brown had two undergo two surgeries for her fracture. A medical team inserted 18 screws and a plate in the leg that was crushed.
The Maryland truck accident lawsuit was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The plaintiffs and defendants had disagreed over who was at fault in causing the Baltimore City truck collision. The jury, however, decided that an 11-year-old witness who testified that Brown was the one with the green light was the most credible. They also found the truck driver liable for causing the traffic crash. Prior to going to trial, Eastern Petroleum, the trucking company that was a defendant in the lawsuit, tried offering Brown a $25,000 Maryland personal injury settlement.
$1 million of the verdict is for pain and suffering. Brown’s noneconomic damages, however, will go down to under $729,000 because of Maryland’s cap on damages.
Traffic violations, such as running a red light, not stopping at a red light, failing to signal, and failing to obey the speed limit, can lead to catastrophic consequences if the driver ends up hitting another vehicle. As we reported earlier this month, on August 4, John R “Jack” Yates died when a truck struck his bicycle at an intersection in downtown Baltimore in a hit-and-run crash. Surveillance footage shows the vehicle making an abrupt right turn without signaling. The 67-year-old bicyclist got tangled under the truck’s rear tires and died at the Maryland truck accident site. Police are trying to find the truck driver.
Baltimore City Truck Accident Lawsuit Results in $1M Verdict, About Lawsuits, August 19, 2009
Attorney: Video of collision that killed cyclist shows truck at fault, Baltimore Sun, August 13, 2009
If you decide to retain the services of an experienced Baltimore truck accident law firm, it is important that you are represented by a Maryland truck collision lawyer who knows how to successfully represent clients with types of catastrophic injury cases.