Florida Personal Injury Blog
Expert witnesses can play a pivotal role in Jacksonville truck accident cases for all involved. In a recent personal injury lawsuit in Florida, the defendant appealed a jury verdict that awarded the plaintiff driver more than $8.2 million in damages for injuries he suffered in a collision with the defendant’s truck. The case arose early in the morning on the highway. The plaintiff was driving to work. The defendant’s truck driver, an employee, was backing up an 18-wheeled tractor trailer to deliver glass on that highway. While backing up, the truck was in a jack-knifed position; the cab was at a 90-degree angle from the trailer. Its hazards were on and both his headlights and running lights were on. The trailer was illuminated by reflective tape.
As the defendant truck driver backed up, he looked at his mirrors. He would later testify he believed no cars were coming. As he tried to straighten the cab to realign it with the trailer, he blocked the traffic flow and a few seconds passed before the plaintiff’s oncoming car hit the cab. The truck driver estimated the car was going 50-60 mph at the point of collision.
The plaintiff claimed his car was on cruise control at 50 mph, which was just under the speed limit of 55 mph He wasn’t distracted. However, there was no light on the road, and the truck appeared out of nowhere. Due to the crash, he suffered fractures of his heel, ankle and leg bones.