Cunningham Bounds, LLC: Jury Returns $3 Million Verdict for Man Injured in Trucking Case

MOBILE, Ala., Nov. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 20, 2019, a Mobile County, Alabama jury returned a $3 million verdict against Langer Transport Corporation for a 2017 crash involving one of its tractor trailer tanker trucks.  On the night of the crash, the plaintiff, Kevin Wade, was traveling northbound on Interstate 65 in Mobile County in his Ford F-250 pickup truck.   Due to engine or mechanical trouble, the pickup was being driven below the speed limit in the center lane with its hazard lights illuminated and flashing.  At approximately 12:40 a.m., a tanker rig operated by Langer Transport crashed into the back of Wade's pickup at over 60 miles per hour.  As a result, the pickup truck was crushed and subsequently caught on fire.  Mr. Wade was ejected from his pickup truck on impact and suffered significant injuries, including a traumatic brain injury. 

During the almost two-week trial, Plaintiff's attorneys presented evidence that Langer Transport's driver was likely cognitively distracted and unable to devote his full attention and concentration to safely operating the tanker rig due to three felony indictments that were pending against the driver.  Plaintiff's attorneys also presented evidence proving that Langer's driver was operating the tanker rig in violation of Langer Transport's corporate safety policy requiring its drivers to drop 5 mph below the posted speed limit.  By failing to follow this safety policy, the time and distance available to the driver to prevent the crash was reduced. 

"All the tanker driver had to do was slow down or change lanes when he saw the pickup truck with its flashers on – and, if he had done that, this horrific crash would never have happened.   Thankfully, the jury stood up for Mr. Wade and held Langer Transport accountable for its safety failures," said Robert L. Mitchell of Cunningham Bounds, who along with his law partner, Billy Bonner, represented the Wade family. 

The law firm of Cunningham Bounds, LLC, founded in 1958, is based in Mobile, Alabama and has been representing plaintiffs  for  over  60  years.  Today the  firm  continues  its  tradition  of representing  victims  in  cases  involving  catastrophic  personal  injury,  industrial  accidents, defective products, truck and automobile accidents, and medical malpractice.  The firm also has expertise in business litigation, complex litigation, and national and state class action litigation involving defective products and consumer fraud.

SOURCE Cunningham Bounds, LLC