Top Individual Truck Accident Verdicts and Settlements

Nassau County Jury Returns $1 Billion in I-95 Crash That Killed UNF Freshman Connor Dzion

A Nassau County jury found two trucking companies responsible for the 2017 chain-reaction crash on I-95 near Yulee that killed 18-year-old Connor Dzion, returning a $1 billion verdict that Curry Pajcic won for the teen's parents.

After trial: Most of the award fell on a carrier that did not defend the case and carried a $1 million policy; the bulk of the verdict is uncollectable.

$730 Million Verdict Over Fatal Superload Crash in Titus County, After a $50 Million Landstar Settlement

A Titus County jury awarded $730 million to the family of Toni Combest, a 73-year-old great-grandmother killed when a Landstar Ranger truck hauling a 197,000-pound Navy submarine propeller struck her car on a narrow Highway 271 bridge, though the family's actual recovery came from pretrial settlements: $50 million from Landstar Ranger and $1 million from escort company S&M Pilot Service, with the verdict itself returned against the small front-escort company 2A Pilot Cars.

After trial: Landstar settled for $50M days before jury selection and S&M Pilot Service for $1M; the $730M verdict came against the remaining escort-vehicle company and no public record documents collection. The family's confirmed recovery is the $51M in settlements.

$411.7 Million Zoom-Trial Verdict for Paralyzed Army Veteran in 45-Vehicle Pileup, Likely Uncollectable

A Leon County jury awarded $411,726,608 to Duane Washington, a career Army sergeant left partially paralyzed in a 45-vehicle pileup on Interstate 10 near Tallahassee, in the Second Judicial Circuit's first virtual jury trial. Ben Crump tried the damages case with co-counsel Robert Cox. Liability was entered by default after defendant Top Auto Express stopped responding in the litigation, its lawyer withdrew months before trial, the one-truck Pembroke Pines carrier sat out the Zoom trial undefended, and industry observers called the record number essentially uncollectable beyond the roughly $1 million in insurance that was offered and rejected before trial.

After trial: Liability was entered by default and the damages trial went undefended; the one-truck carrier's authority was revoked and the award is considered uncollectable beyond about $1 million in insurance.

Family Awarded $247 Million After Truck Blocking Highway Killed Their Son

On February 13, 2016, 21-year-old Riley McPherson was killed on U.S. 271 near Gilmer, Texas, when his van struck the side of a Jefferson Trucking flatbed tractor-trailer that was blocking all four lanes of the highway while its driver, on hour 17 of a run home from Ohio, tried to back it into a private driveway. McPherson's parents, Eddie McPherson and Karen Pearson, sued Jefferson Trucking, driver Eric Wayne Jefferson, and Timothy Wayne Jefferson in the 115th District Court of Upshur County. On November 8, 2018, a jury apportioned 65 percent fault to Eric Jefferson, 20 percent to Jefferson Trucking, 10 percent to Timothy Jefferson, and 5 percent to McPherson, and set damages at $260 million, which the comparative-fault finding reduced to $247 million. The defendants appealed, then voluntarily dismissed their own appeal, leaving the trial court judgment intact.

After trial: Reduced by comparative fault. The $260 million damages finding was cut 5 percent for the plaintiff's own fault, for a $247 million net figure. See more

$165.5 Million Verdict for Family Killed in FedEx Truck Crash on I-10

A Santa Fe jury awarded $165.5 million, the largest verdict in New Mexico history, to the survivors of a young mother and her daughter killed when a FedEx tractor-trailer plowed into their stopped pickup at highway speed on Interstate 10.

After trial: The verdict was affirmed on appeal. The New Mexico Court of Appeals upheld it, and on May 19, 2022 the New Mexico Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the full $165.5 million award. See more

Family of Two Children Killed in I-30 Truck Fire Settles With Werner for $150 Million

Before dawn on May 24, 2020, a Werner Enterprises tractor-trailer struck the rear of a passenger car stopped in a live lane of Interstate 30 near Sulphur Springs, Texas, with two children, ages 7 and 9, inside. The car caught fire and both children died. Their parents sued Werner and its driver, alleging negligent and grossly negligent operation of the tractor-trailer, negligent hiring, training, and supervision of the driver, and negligent entrustment of the truck. In July 2022, Werner announced it had agreed to pay $150 million to resolve the case without a trial, funded by the company and its insurance carriers. Goudarzi & Young, through founding partner Brent Goudarzi, represented the family.

After trial: Pre-trial settlement, so there was no verdict to appeal. Werner's SEC filing states the $150 million was funded by the company and its insurance carriers.

Nassau County Jury Returns $141.5 Million Against Log-Truck Company

A Nassau County jury awarded $141.5 million, including $125 million in punitive damages, against K&N Logging after an unvetted driver's 80,000-pound log truck plowed into stopped school-zone traffic and left a young child with permanent brain damage.

After trial: The verdict is largely uncollectable. K&N Logging had stopped operating at least two years before trial, its owner was a school janitor running a small side business, and defense counsel said there are no assets to satisfy the judgment and no insurance policy covering punitive damages.

$140 Million Settlement After an 18-Wheeler Crash Left an East Texas Driver Quadriplegic

A 39-year-old man was left quadriplegic in 2017 when an 18-wheeler struck his vehicle on Highway 259 near Ore City in Upshur County, Texas. The case went to trial, where evidence showed the truck's driver, Dijuana Smith, had been involved in multiple crashes before the wreck, and where attorneys said she had violated state and federal trucking regulations. Goudarzi & Young, L.L.P., of Gilmer, Texas, represented the injured man, and the parties reached a $140 million settlement in July 2019. The firm, and later a Lawdragon profile of managing partner Brent Goudarzi, both described it as the largest settlement for a single plaintiff in American legal history. The identities of the plaintiff and the trucking company were not publicly disclosed.

$281 Million Verdict for Army Veteran Killed by Flying Drive Shaft

A unanimous Dimmit County jury awarded $281 million, including $181 million in compensatory damages and $100 million in punitive damages, to the family of Carlos Aguilar, a 31-year-old Army veteran and father of seven killed when a drive shaft broke off a Heckmann Water Resources 18-wheeler and crashed through the windshield of the pickup he was riding in. Gene S. Hagood of Alvin tried the case with Laredo co-counsel John R. Solis and Jose Luis Castillo. The trial court reduced the judgment to $163.8 million and then to $105.2 million on post-trial motions, and in July 2014 the case settled on confidential terms, with parent company Nuverra disclosing it funded $5.5 million of the settlement alongside an undisclosed insurer payment.

After trial: Judgment reduced to $105.2 million on post-trial motions; settled confidentially with court approval in July 2014, with parent company Nuverra disclosing a $5.5 million contribution plus an undisclosed insurer payment.

Wayne County Jury Awards $96 Million to Family of Father and Son Killed by Truck on I-75

In April 2023 a Wayne County jury awarded $96 million to the widow and mother of Jude and Zachary Attianese, a New Jersey father and son killed when a Challenger Motor Freight tractor-trailer rear-ended their car in an I-75 construction zone in 2018. The company had acknowledged responsibility, so the trial addressed damages. The driver was taking medications for Parkinson's disease, and the company had known of his diagnosis since 2015.

After trial: The verdict is on appeal: Challenger Motor Freight's appeal, docket 371420, was set for the Michigan Court of Appeals' August 2026 session. We found no appellate decision, remittitur or post-verdict settlement, so the final amount is unconfirmed.

$219.9 Million Verdict for Paramedic Brain-Injured in Ambulance Crash

Sherri Tramble, 36, was a St. Landry Parish paramedic riding unrestrained in the back of an ambulance, starting an IV on a patient en route to hospital, when a pickup turned across the ambulance's path without yielding. She has multiple skull fractures, a C-7 fracture and a permanent traumatic brain injury, and has since been interdicted.

After trial: Remitted on appeal to roughly $84.1 million. The jury returned $219,910,110.82 on September 23, 2024, and in July 2026 the Louisiana Third Circuit affirmed liability but reduced general damages to $40,000,000 and future medicals to $41,300,219. See more

$82.3 Million Verdict for I-70 Crash Victim Struck by Trucker Watching Videos on iPad

A Callaway County jury awarded Beth Mayhew and her husband $82.3 million after a truck driver hit their vehicle on I-70 while driving with both feet on the dashboard and holding an iPad to watch videos.

$82.1 Million for a Motorcyclist Who Lost Two Limbs, the Largest Trucking Verdict in Ohio History

A Jefferson County jury awarded $82,105,345.70 to Michael Shank, a motorcyclist whose left arm and left leg were amputated after a commercial truck struck him near Steubenville. The verdict is reported as the largest trucking verdict in Ohio history, in a case the defense had offered $350,000 to settle.

After trial: No appeal or reduction had been publicly reported as of September 2026.

$81 Million Utah Verdict After a Truck Killed a 12-Year-Old in a Marked Crosswalk

A retrial jury in Utah's Fourth District Court awarded $81 million against Beacon Roofing Supply after one of its trucks struck and killed a 12-year-old boy who was crossing legally in a marked crosswalk.

El Paso Jury Awards $76.5 Million to Family of Trucker Killed in Sleeper Berth When Co-Driver Fell Asleep

Orlando Robles, 38, of El Paso, died in October 2020 when the Mesilla Valley Transportation tractor-trailer he was resting in struck a parked box truck on Interstate 40 in Oklahoma after the driver fell asleep. In July 2026 an El Paso jury found the carrier and its driver responsible and awarded $76.5 million to Robles' wife, mother and five daughters. A separate award went to his son through other counsel. The company has said it is evaluating appellate options.

After trial: MVT said after the verdict that it is evaluating its appellate options. We found no ruling on post-trial motions and no appeal filing, so the award is not yet final. See more

Larimer County Jury Awards $65 Million After Excavator Load Strikes I-25 Overpass and Kills Mother

A Larimer County jury returned a $65 million wrongful death verdict in September 2026 for the family of Megan Arneson, a 32-year-old single mother killed on I-25 near Mead in August 2022. A semi hauling an improperly loaded excavator struck an overpass, and falling concrete came through her windshield. The jury found the driver and his employer liable after a five-day trial. Plaintiffs' counsel described it as the largest jury verdict in Larimer County history and the largest in a Colorado trucking crash case.

After trial: The verdict was returned in late September 2026, shortly before this entry was written. No post-trial motions, appeal, judgment entry or payment had been reported, so the award is shown as returned and its collection is unconfirmed.

$65 Million Verdict for Child's Prenatal Brain Injury After UPS Truck Struck Pregnant Mother's Car

A Clay County, Missouri jury awarded $65 million to a child who suffered a permanent brain injury before birth when a UPS delivery truck struck his mother's car while she was 13 weeks pregnant. With prejudgment interest, the judgment came to roughly $75.3 million, and the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed it in May 2025.

After trial: Affirmed in full by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, on May 20, 2025. With prejudgment interest the judgment totals roughly $75.3 million.

$58.5 Million Verdict for Family of Man Killed by Tanker Truck Near Carlsbad, New Mexico

A New Mexico jury awarded $58.5 million, believed at the time to be the state's largest truck verdict, to the family of Kevin Udy, a mechanical engineer killed in 2010 when a tanker truck turned into his path on a highway near Carlsbad.

$55 Million Verdict for Woman, 22, Who Lost Both Legs When a Jackknifing Tractor Trailer Pinned Her

An Essex County jury awarded $55 million to Angel May Rider, a young barista who lost both legs after a tractor trailer owned by Jersey City Transfer and Alert Motor Freight jackknifed on a rain-slicked stretch of I-95 and pinned her against a guardrail. Reported as the largest verdict in Essex County history, the award was affirmed in full by the New Jersey Appellate Division in May 2026.

After trial: Post-trial motions were denied in July 2024 and the New Jersey Appellate Division affirmed the judgment in full on May 18, 2026.

$54.1 Million Verdict After Bucket Truck Crossed the Center Line and Killed a Citrus County Driver

A Citrus County jury awarded $54.1 million to the family of Jeffery Hindalong, killed when a Freightliner bucket truck driven by a tree-service employee swerved across the center line into his vehicle. Morgan & Morgan partner Jonathan Brozyna and the firm's trial team took the case to verdict after the family turned down a $2 million settlement offer.