$1,200,000 Settlement

Our client was a tractor-trailer driver who hauled heavy debris to a New York processing facility. Upon entering the facility, our client began positioning his tractor-trailer to dump debris alongside another tractor-trailer that was in the process of raising its dump trailer with a load of debris that was packed too tight and “load-locked.” Instead of lowering the trailer and manually loosening the locked load with the available mechanical equipment, which was the standard industry practice, the operator continued to raise the locked load, attempting to release it. By improperly raising the load with our client’s tractor-trailer in close proximity, the load-locked trailer lost stability, tipped over, and struck our client’s tractor-trailer, resulting in his death.

A lawsuit was filed against the owner of the processing facility and the manufacturer, distributor, owner, and operator of the tractor-trailer that tipped over and struck our client. After extensive litigation, including multiple document demands and responses, and more than fifteen depositions, the action settled against the peripheral defendants in the sum of $1.2 million. The action continues against the target wrongdoers, who owned and operated the tractor-trailer that caused our client’s death.