Toledo Jury Awards Damages in Fatal Tractor-Trailer Collision
A tractor-trailer was overturned on the highway at night when a vehicle struck it. The parents of the driver who died in the crash sued the truck driver and owner. They claimed loss of consortium due to their son's death. The jury found in favor of the parents.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
About Wrongful Death Injuries
Wrongful death claims arise when a car accident fatality is caused by another party's negligence. These cases compensate surviving family members for their losses and the decedent's pain and suffering.
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $13,218,000
- County
- Dallas County, AZ
- Resolved
- 2012
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Wrongful Death
- Accident Type
- Truck/Commercial
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence, Auto/Truck Collision
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $13,218,000 is near the median of $6,500,000 for wrongful death cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $800,000 to $15,000,000, based on 34 cases in our database.
Case Overview
A 31-year-old man died in a highway collision in Toledo, OH, when his vehicle struck an overturned tractor-trailer in the middle of the night. His parents subsequently filed a lawsuit against the truck driver and owner, alleging loss of consortium due to their son's death.
The defendants conceded that the plaintiff mother sustained a loss but disputed the financial amount of damages. They denied that the plaintiff father sustained a loss, contending the nature of his relationship with his son, whose parents had divorced when the son was two, did not warrant damages. The father testified their relationship had "peaks and valleys" and was in a "valley" at the time of his son's death, which he argued precluded any opportunity for reconciliation.
Following a one-and-a-half-day trial, the jury deliberated for three hours before returning a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs.
Understanding This Case
- This case went to trial and resulted in a jury verdict. Verdicts can yield higher awards but carry the risk of receiving nothing if the jury rules against the plaintiff.
- This case was resolved in Dallas County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
- Resolved in 2012, this case reflects the legal and economic conditions of that period, including medical costs, insurance practices, and jury award trends at the time.
VerdictlyTM Score
This outcome aligns very well with similar cases
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