Atlanta Tractor-Trailer Collision Settles, Amount Undisclosed

A multi-vehicle collision occurred on I-75/85 in Atlanta, Georgia, during a light rainfall. A tractor-trailer, operated by one defendant who was deadheading for a freight company, fishtailed and struck a third party's vehicle. This collision caused the third vehicle to spin and then collide with the plaintiffs' vehicle, which subsequently stalled perpendicular to the median wall.

Approximately five seconds later, a second tractor-trailer, operated by another defendant and owned by a separate freight company, broadsided the stalled plaintiffs' vehicle. This second rig was carrying a 70,000-pound load. The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit, alleging the first defendant was negligent in speeding and failing to maintain proper control of the vehicle. They also alleged the second defendant was negligent for failing to stop within an assured clear distance ahead.

The first defendant contended that the plaintiffs' injuries were sustained exclusively in the second collision. The second defendant argued that the collision occurred under emergency circumstances. One plaintiff sustained multiple head injuries requiring brain surgeries and a partial frontal lobotomy, resulting in blindness in one eye, loss of taste and smell, and a shattered forehead and nose. These injuries resulted in $192,000 in medical expenses and $760,000 in lost income. The second plaintiff suffered neck and back injuries and a severed nerve in one hand, with $11,000 in medical expenses and $14,000 in lost income.

The case settled during trial in State Court, Atlanta, Georgia. Both defendants contributed equally to the settlement amount.