Truck Driver Runs Over Disabled Car on the Highway
Dec 04, 2017OUTCOME: The case was resolved by the payment of a substantial settlement.
We were recently able to resolve a very tragic case in which two young adults were killed by an 18 wheeler. A young woman and her boyfriend, both in their early 20’s, were on their way home for Thanks ... giving a few years ago when their car broke down on I-37 south of San Antonio. They were able to get their car completely onto the shoulder and called 911 for help. It was about 4:30 a.m. and was very cold outside. The 911 operator told them to stay put in the car and that she would call them a tow truck and send an officer out to make sure they were all right. Before either arrived, the driver of a tanker truck veered onto the shoulder and ran over the car the two were in. The young man died instantly. The young woman was not as fortunate. She was thrown from the car and died approximately 30 minutes later. Fortunately, a passerby was able to comfort her and talk to her in the last minutes of her life. We were successful in showing that the driver had been speeding up and slowing down for several minutes before the crash and that at the time of the crash he did not hit his brakes until after impact. In short, we were able to establish that he either fell asleep at the wheel or was very distracted at the time of the crash. After more than two years of protracted litigation, we were able to obtain a settlement for the estate of the young woman who was killed. While no amount of money will ever bring back this young woman or erase the pain the family has endured, it was important to hold the trucking company responsible for the actions of its driver.