Always Be Proactive to Combat the Trend of Rising Verdicts Against Truck Drivers and Their Companies

Last year, Ohio joined other states around the country in seeing the rise of large verdicts against trucking companies that have tractor/trailers involved in accidents. The largest occurred in a case where a truck driver who was severely injured after swerving off the road to avoid a collision with a delivery truck that failed to yield a stop sign. Plaintiff obtained a verdict of almost $11 million. Regardless of the size of your company’s fleet, being proactive is always the best way to counteract these rising verdicts. This includes having the proper programs (e.g., hiring, safety, training, record keeping, etc.) in place before the inevitable accident occurs. And it includes immediately having representation in place the moment an accident occurs to protect the company and the driver. Being proactive on these issues will substantially decrease the risk of being on the wrong end of this trend of increased verdicts.