Jury Issues $462 Million Verdict Against Wabash After Crash
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Wabash National Corp. said it is reviewing its legal options after a jury handed down $462 million in damages against the trailer manufacturer after a fatal crash where a passenger car collided with the back of one of its trailers, killing two people.
The St. Louis jury ruled that the Taron Tailor, 30, and his passenger, Nicholas Perkins, 23, died instantly when their Volkswagen CC, driven by Tailor, rear-ended a Wabash-manufactured trailer. Upon impact, the trailer’s rear impact guard tore off, allowing their vehicle to under ride the trailer, according to attorney John Simon of St. Louis-based Simon Law Firm.
The trucking company involved in the crash was not a part of the lawsuit, as the case was focused on civil product liability. The motor carrier, GDS Express Inc. of Akron, Ohio, ceased doing business in December 2019.
Each of the deceased men’s families received $6 million in compensatory damages. The jury awarded $450 million in punitive damages.
In response to the verdict, Wabash characterized the 2019 crash as one where a speeding passenger vehicle struck the rear of a nearly stopped trailer. Wabash noted that the trailer, built in 2004, was in compliance with regulatory standards in effect at the time of manufacture.
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“While this was a tragic accident, we respectfully disagree with the jury’s verdict and firmly believe it is not supported by the facts or the law,” said Wabash General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer Kristin Glazner. “No rear impact guard or trailer safety technology has ever existed that would have made a difference here.”
“Despite precedent to the contrary, the jury was prevented from hearing critical evidence in the case, including that the driver’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at the time of the accident,” Wabash said. “The fact that neither the driver nor his passenger was wearing a seat belt was also kept from the jury, even though plaintiffs argued both would have survived a 55-mile-per-hour collision had the vehicle not broken through the trailer’s rear impact guard.”
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Missouri seat belt information is by law not admissible in civil actions, according to the plaintiffs in the case.
Wabash unsuccessfully attempted to gain a partial summary judgment dismissing portions of the case and also requested that the judge issue a directed verdict on grounds that the jury had not been given sufficient information to reach a verdict. According to court documents both of those requests were denied by the judge in the case, Missouri Circuit Court Judge Christopher McGraugh. McGraugh also denied Wabash’s request that the plaintiff be denied certain punitive damages.
Wabash has not yet announced any potential next steps in the case.
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