Georgia Jury's Biggest Verdict Against Trucking Company

Georgia Jury's Biggest Verdict Against Trucking Company

Introduction

A Louisiana family has been awarded $280 million for a fatal 2016 truck crash by a jury in Muscogee County, Georgia, and it is considered to be the largest jury verdict ever against a trucking company.

According to the court documents, on July 18, 2016, the plaintiffs' family was traveling in their 2014 Nissan Rogue, which was hit head-on by a Schnitzer truck, killing five members of the family. The mishap took place on U.S. Highway 80 between Ladonia and Crawford in Alabama.

A lawsuit was filed in 2017, in Muscogee County, Ga., against Schnitzer Southeast and Schnitzer Steel by the plaintiffs. The suit alleged that the driver was fatigued and had fallen asleep, crossed the centerline of Highway 80 in Alabama, slamming into the SUV.

The report states that the verdict was the largest award ever handed down in Muscogee County. Schnitzer Southeast has indicated that it has plans to appeal the decision.