East Baton Rouge Jury Awards $442,500 in Rear-End Collision

On March 2, 2011, a truck driver was traveling eastbound on I-12 in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when the driver slowed for traffic congestion. The plaintiff's vehicle was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer operated by a defendant driver and owned by a defendant trucking company. The plaintiff sustained multiple injuries in the collision, including spinal cord damage and a herniated lumbar disc requiring surgical repair.

The plaintiff filed a negligence lawsuit on April 27, 2011, against the driver, the trucking company, and their insurers in federal court in Louisiana. Prior to trial, the defendants stipulated to liability for the collision. Consequently, the trial proceeded solely on the issue of damages, with both sides presenting expert testimony regarding the plaintiff's injuries, vocational rehabilitation needs, and economic losses.

On January 28, 2015, a jury awarded the plaintiff $442,500. The award included $95,000 for past medical expenses, $18,000 for future medical expenses, $65,000 for past, present, and future mental anguish and physical pain and suffering, $35,000 for loss of enjoyment of life, $175,000 for loss of earning capacity, and $54,500 for past lost wages. Judgment was formally entered against the defendants on February 4, 2015.