Federal Jury Awards $850,000 to Connecticut Trucker After Parked Rig Is Struck on Exit Ramp

The plaintiff was an owner-operator trucker, a sole proprietor running his own rig. He had stopped on an exit ramp when traffic congestion brought vehicles to a halt ahead of him. A second tractor-trailer that had also stopped on the ramp rolled backward and struck his parked vehicle.

The collision left him injured and unable to work. Because his livelihood depended on driving, he delayed having surgery, a decision the defense seized on at trial. Opposing counsel argued the gap undermined the severity of his injuries. Carter Mario attorneys Jessica Ayala and Andrew Buchetto answered that argument by showing the jury why a solo owner-operator with no employees and no income replacement would put off a procedure that would keep him off the road.

The two-day trial played out in U.S. District Court in Connecticut. Ayala and Buchetto presented the case alongside Senior Litigation Case Manager Nicole Skurjo. The defense had made a final pre-verdict offer of $200,000.

The jury came back with $850,000, more than four times what the defense had offered. No post-verdict reduction or remittitur has been reported in connection with this case.