Single Trucking Company To Pay $411M Over 45-Vehicle Pileup

Single Trucking Company To Pay $411M Over 45-Vehicle Pileup

Introduction

A motorcyclist who was severely injured in a 45-vehicle pileup in 2018 received a massive $411,726,608 verdict from a jury of Florida’s Second Circuit Court. According to the court documents, the 45-vehicle pileup crash occurred on westbound I-10 in Tallahassee, Florida, on July 24, 2018. It was a stormy day, and due to heavy rain, the traffic slowed down on the interstate. During the traffic, a semi-truck owned by Top Auto Trucking Company, based in Pembroke Pines, Florida, tried to avoid a collision, which instead resulted in a series of crashes, ultimately involving 45 vehicles. The plaintiff, a motorcycle rider, was part of the pileup who attempted to deviate to avoid the crash but instead collided with a stopped truck that had no lights on in the emergency lane. The collision left the plaintiff with severe, life-threatening injuries, which included a broken pelvis, severe colon and urethra damage, permanent incontinence, and loss of sexual function. A total of eight people injured in the crash were taken to the hospital. The attorney representing the plaintiff said that the company tried to settle for $1 million but was rejected as the medical expenses were nearly $750,000. It is considered to be the largest nuclear verdict ever against a single trucking company, and the case was heard via Zoom, including all the testimony and jury deliberations.