$12 Million for Two Families After an Overloaded Cement Truck Ran a Red Light in Waukesha County

A cement truck loaded past its legal weight limit came up to an intersection in Waukesha County and went through a red light. It hit a van that was crossing on the green. Trucks are held to weight limits for a reason. The heavier a truck is, the longer it needs to stop, and the more force it carries into anything it strikes. A truck that is over its limit is harder to control in the exact moment when control matters most.

The crash killed the driver of the van. A passenger survived but was left with serious brain injuries that are permanent. Two families carried the loss out of that intersection, one grieving a death and one facing the long, expensive work of caring for someone whose life had been changed for good.

Cannon & Dunphy represented both families. The firm built the case on the condition of the truck and the conduct of its driver. The truck had been loaded beyond what the law allows, which cut into its ability to brake and added to the damage when it hit. On top of that, the driver ran a red light. The overload and the running of the signal were the two facts the firm set out to prove, and together they described a crash that did not have to happen.

The result is documented in two places. The firm's own case list records $10.2 million for the passenger who suffered the permanent brain injuries. The published obituary of firm co-founder William "Bill" Cannon lists a combined $12 million for the two families among the notable results of his career. The matter resolved as a settlement. There is no public record of an appeal or any reduction of the amount.

Cannon, who died in 2023 at the age of 75, was credited with more paid verdicts and settlements of $10 million or more than any other attorney in Wisconsin history. His firm reports recovering more than $1 billion for clients since 1985.