Jury Rules Against Daimler in $160 Million Liability Verdict
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An Alabama state jury has issued a $160 million verdict against Daimler Truck North America in a product liability case involving a driver who became quadriplegic after a 2022 rollover accident.
The Sept. 6 jury decision came after an accident in which a pickup truck veered into the lane of Leonard Wiley Streets, who was traveling in a Western Star truck on Highway 84 in Clarke County, Ala. The crash caused Streets’ truck to roll over, resulting in a spinal cord injury that left him with incomplete quadriplegia, or quadriplegia where some function or sensation is retained.
The jury awarded Streets $75 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in punitive damages. Streets’ wife was awarded $10 million in damages for loss of consortium. The trial lasted two weeks.
This so-called nuclear verdict was the second product liability lawsuit in recent weeks. A St. Louis jury awarded $462 million in damages against Wabash National Corp., finding the trailer manufacturer responsible for the deaths of two men in a 2019 crash when the car they were traveling in went underneath the rear of a tractor-trailer.
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The lawsuit alleged issues with the truck’s design, according to Benjamin Baker of the Beasley Allen Law Firm, who represented the plaintiff.
Baker claimed the truck’s roof structure and suspension seat were areas of concern. However, Daimler Truck North America disputed these claims.
“We stand by the safety of our products and our safety testing (including cab crush) meets and exceeds all industry standards in place in the U.S. and worldwide,” a Daimler spokesman said in a statement. “We have strong grounds for appeal and intend to pursue this action.”
The lawsuit focused on the truck’s design rather than the circumstances of the crash itself.
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Baker suggested that Daimler had been involved in research about truck cab design and seating systems in the past. He noted that Daimler had worked with Indiana Mills and Manufacturing Inc. to develop an alternative suspension seat design with additional features.
According to Baker, this seat design was offered as an option in Freightliner trucks starting in 2007 and in Western Star trucks from 2017. The truck involved in Streets’ accident did not have this optional seat, Baker said.
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