Family Wins $8.5M in Truck Accident Wrongful Death

The family of a man who died after being struck by a dump truck in downtown St. Paul MN will be awarded $8.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit settlement. The 61-year-old decedent was killed at a construction site he was working at in September of 2022. According to court documents, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of the decedent’s grieving widow against the driver of the truck and his employer, Ti-Zack Concrete, Inc.

According to the lawsuit, attorneys for the family said that the driver of the truck tested presumptive positive for cocaine and THC after the crash. They also said that the defense destroyed evidence, violated federal drug testing protocols, and failed to adequately train the driver. Part of the settlement money included damages for the decedent’s suffering from the moment he was first struck to the time he lost consciousness and died. The award results from a new Minnesota law granting relief for pain and suffering a victim experiences prior to death in a wrongful death case.

According to the decedent’s wife, the most concerning part of the accident was the alleged lack of safety training and precautions taken at the site where her husband was killed. The decedent’s widow also said the defendant did accept her request to hire a safety director and implement new hire safety training for drivers.

An attorney for the family said that had the rules been followed the client would still be alive today.

Truck accident lawsuits

 Serious injuries and deaths occur at construction sites all the time. This is due in large part to the fact that traffic slows down and these construction zones. In addition, stalled traffic during rush hour can cause its fair share of accidents as well. Large commercial trucks such as tractor trailers and semi trucks, cannot stop on a dime like smaller commuter vehicles can. Instead these vehicles roll to a stop slowly. The drivers of semi trucks must therefore be much more careful about how they operate their vehicles. In this case the defendant failed to keep a proper lookout, did not slow down in time for slowed traffic, and struck a construction worker at a construction site causing his death.

Such accidents are unfortunately common. Many of the truck accident lawsuits you’ll hear about involve rear end collisions with stalled traffic operating near a construction zone. In these cases the driver fails to spot the slow traffic in time, and drives into a stopped vehicle.

In this case the family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the trucking company and their intoxicated driver. They were able to recover damages for their emotional grief and the pain and suffering the victim felt after the accident and before he died.

Talk to an Oakland CA truck accident attorney today

Venardi Zurada represents the interests of plaintiffs who have been injured by commercial trucking vehicles. When the truck driver is negligent, you can file a lawsuit against their employer to recover damages related to your medical expenses, your lost wages, and your reduced quality of life. We serve the Bay Area from our office locations in Oakland and Walnut Creek. Call our Oakland personal injury attorneys today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

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