Trailer Manufacturer Ordered to Pay $18.8M in New Mexico Trucking Case

Truck Accident Lawyers in Mississippi

Landmark Trucking Accident Case in New Mexico

SANTA FE, NM – According to a news report published online by abqjournal.com, a trailer manufacturer has been ordered to pay $18.9 million to a New Mexico family in connection with a fatal trucking accident. The subject accident occurred in 2015 and caused the death of a 16-year-old boy.

In November 2015, a 16-year-old student at Manzano High School was driving to band practice, traveling on Interstate 40 West. In the area of the Tijeras Canyon, east of Albuquerque, a tractor-trailer headed east crossed over the centerline of the interstate and crashed into the Honda Civic that the teenager was driving. The Honda reportedly became trapped under the trailer of the truck, and the truck dragged the Honda for a considerable distance.

While the truck was dragging the Honda, the Honda scraped against a concrete barrier wall on the interstate, after which the car caught on fire. The teen was severely burned in the fire and died at the scene of the accident.

In the wake of the crash, the victim’s parents filed a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the trailer that was attached to the truck, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Inc. The suit alleged that the corporation was negligent in failing to take steps to prevent underride accidents in which vehicles become stuck under large trucks’ trailers. Potential measures the corporation should have taken, according to the suit, were installation of guards or bars on the trailers.

Following a two-week trial in the case, on August 23, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs in the amount of $42 million. The jury found that the truck driver, who was not a named defendant in the case, was 55 percent at fault, which meant the payable portion of the verdict assessed to Utility Trailer Manufacturing was $18.9 million (45 percent).

Have you or a loved one been injured in a tractor trailer accident in Mississippi? It is critical that a thorough on scene investigation is performed to uncover any possible evidence of negligence. Also, it is essential that you speak with a Mississippi truck accident lawyer experienced in Mississippi trucking cases as soon as possible to preserve your legal rights.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call Giddens Law Firm, P.A. at (601) 355-2022 or Toll Free at (888) 335-2022. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds.

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Giddens Law Firm P.A.
Address: 226 N President St, Jackson, MS 39201