$1,975,000 North Carolina Truck Crash Verdict Awarded to 71-Year-old Victim
A jury has awarded $1,975,000 to Ann Propst Stoffel for the serious injuries she sustained during a North Carolina truck crash on May 21, 2008. Stoffel is 71.
The catastrophic truck collision happened on NC 62 as FedEx trucker Christopher Adam West attempted to turn left onto Old Glencoe Road. His truck crashed head-on into Stoffel’s 1996 Chrysler minivan. Stoffel’s 88-year-old mother-in-law Virginia was killed in the collision.
Following the Alamance County, North Carolina truck crash, Stoffel has had to two surgeries. She may have had to undergo more in the future.
Stoffel sued FedEx and West. During the North Carolina personal injury trial, the defendants admitted that West was negligent. However, they argued that the amount that the plaintiff’s attorney was seeking—more than $3 million—was unreasonable. The jury, whose job was to decide how much Stoffel should receive, deliberated for about 90 minutes before arriving at their unanimous verdict.
Virginia Stoffel’s family had sought North Carolina wrongful death damages. A settlement was reached last year through mediation.
Common causes of North Carolina truck crashes:
• Distracted driving
• Failure to obey traffic laws and/or signals
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Truck defects
• Faulty maintenance
• Drowsy driving
• Text messaging
• Cell phone conversations
• Driver fatigue
• Overmedication
• Drugged driving
• Inadequate training
• Following too closely
• Failure to check blind spots
• Aggressive driving
• Hours-of-service violations
• Sleep apnea
The chance of catastrophic injury when involved in a North Carolina truck crash is high. You do not want to pursue damages for this type of case without legal help.
Alamance County jury awards woman close to $2 million in damages, TheTimesNews.com, April 14, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Trucking Accidents, Nolo
Truck Safety Coalition
