Baltimore City Truck Accident Lawsuit Results in $1M Verdict

A Maryland woman injured in a truck accident in Baltimore City was awarded just over $1 million last week for injuries that included a severe leg fracture that required two surgeries.

The accident lawsuit was filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court by Shannon Brown over a collision that occurred on July 13, 2006, when a gas tanker ran a red light and collided with her vehicle. Brown’s right leg was crushed in the crash, requiring a plate and 18 screws. Her infant son, Elijah, was also in the car, but did not sustain injuries.

Liability was contested in the red light accident, with each side presenting testimony from an independent witness who said that the other was at fault. The jury found that the plaintiff’s witness, an 11 year-old boy who testified that Brown had the green light, was the most credible, and found that the driver of an Eastern Petroleum truck was responsible for the accident.

Did You Know?

Millions of Philips CPAP Machines Recalled

Philips DreamStation, CPAP and BiPAP machines sold in recent years may pose a risk of cancer, lung damage and other injuries.

Learn More

The Baltimore City jury awarded $1,063,807.37 on August 11, 2009, which included $1,000,000.00 for pain and suffering. However, under the Maryland damage cap, Browns non-economic damage award will be reduced, resulting in a total judgment of just under $729,000.00.

The state’s damage cap places a limit on the amount of compensation a jury may award for non-economic damages like pain and suffering in a Maryland personal injury lawsuit. At the time of Brown’s truck accident, the Maryland statute capped a plaintiff’s non-economic damages at $665,000.00.

Brown was represented at trial by Maryland accident lawyers Laura Zois and John Bratt, of Miller & Zois, LLC, who said that the only settlement offer by the truck company was $25,000.00 offered two weeks before trial.

Image Credit: |

0 Comments

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories

Gardasil Lawsuits Over Failure To Warn Doctors About HPV Vaccine Risks Cleared To Move Forward
Gardasil Lawsuits Over Failure To Warn Doctors About HPV Vaccine Risks Cleared To Move Forward (Posted yesterday)

A federal judge has cleared Gardasil lawsuits to move forward, after paring down plaintiffs' claims to those alleging Merck either failed to warn, or fraudulently concealed, the HPV vaccine's risks from the medical community.