A $3.5 Million Settlement for the Daughter of a Victim of Wrongful Death Due to Trucking Accident

The 25-year-old Portsmouth, VA, man's kin agreed to a $3.5 settlement during mediation in Virginia. The money will go to the five-year-old daughter of the victim who died in a truck collision.

The accident came to pass on Interstate 264 (I-264) in Norfolk, Virginia (VA) when a passenger vehicle - that was driving slowly due to a tire problem - was rear ended by a commercial truck driver in an 18-wheeler. The big rig and the passenger vehicle was engulfed in fire. Unfortunately, the young man was trapped in his vehicle and died on the spot.

During a sworn statement, the truck driver confessed that he did not see the passenger vehicle until a few seconds before his rig collide with the victim's car. Mr Cooper and Mr. Appleton, the victim's counsel, also found out that the story given by the truck driver to state troopers after the collision was flawed. Furthermore, the lawyers ran thorough interviews and prepared custom graphics and other materials to represent the repercussion of the loss on the victim's family.

The trucker's counsel argued that the driver of the passenger vehicle was at fault and caused the collision by cruising slowly on the highway at 25 mph with no hazards on - at night. The victim's attorney was able to turn the table by convincing the insurance company for the truck driver that the defendants argument would fail in a courtroom.

In any case, the evidence showed that the trucker defied a number of safety rules from the Virginia Commercial Drivers License Manual. The victim's lawyers, Mr. Cooper and Mr. Appleton, through thorough investigation, found out that the truck driver failed to sufficiently treat his diabetes, albeit doctor's orders, by taking his medication – prior to the accident.

A sizable amount of $3.5 million were obtained by the victim's lawyers as settlement to support the only surviving beneficiary of the 25-year-old victim, his five-year-old daughter.