Tractor Truck Wreck - $925,000

Our firm represented a construction worker who was hit by a tractor truck and trailer in Nashville, Tennessee.  At the time of the wreck, our client was on the job performing maintenance on the I-440 bridge in the Berry Hill area of Nashville.  Our client was positioned on a hydraulic platform lowered from the I-440 bridge deck over the side and under the bridge.  The location of the platform resulted in our client being positioned above traffic traveling on the I-40 West to I-65 South interstate ramp.  As our client was working on the bridge, a tractor truck and trailer attempted to drive directly under the platform.  Because there was insufficient height clearance, the top of the trailer hit our client's platform and caused him to fall approximately 30 feet to the interstate ramp below.  Our client was initially turned down by multiple law firms over concerns that liability could not be proven against the truck driver.  Our firm agreed to take over the case and pursue litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.  Through extensive discovery and numerous depositions, we were able to show that the truck driver was at fault for failing to heed warning signs and failing to take any efforts to slow down or go around the platform.  We were also able to prove that just moments before the wreck, a different tractor truck and trailer was able to safely go around the platform without hitting it.  Our client suffered catastrophic injuries in the wreck, including a spinal cord injury leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.  Unfortunately, the insurance policy covering the truck driver and truck company only provided insurance coverage of $1,000,000.  Also, the truck company responsible was in financial strain so it was unlikely that any amount of money over the insurance policy could ever be recovered.  Recognizing that we would be limited to a maximum recovery of only $1 Million and that we would likely incur additional expenses and expert fees of nearly 6 figures, we elected to participate in mediation with the truck company and another one of the injured plaintiffs.  The case settled at mediation in 2018 for $925,000.  Additionally, because our client was on the job at the time of the wreck, our firm successfully pursued a workers compensation claim for our client which resulted in payment of past medical expenses in excess of $1.4 Million, weekly disability payments to our client, and our client's future medical care being covered for the rest of his life.