$6.5 Million Settlement for Motorcyclist

Brain Injury After Being Crashed Into By Tractor-Trailer

St. Louis, MO-based law firm announces $6.5 million motorcycle accident settlement – A motorcyclist who suffered a brain injury when he was crashed into by a tractor-trailer has settled his claim against Allied Systems, Ltd. and its driver for a total of $6.5 million. The motorcyclist was represented by lead counsel and Missouri personal injury lawyer John Page.

On May 1, 2005, a truck driver, who was both the owner-operator of a tractor-trailer and an employee of Allied Systems Ltd., drove to a repair shop to have the brakes on his tractor replaced. When he arrived, the shop was closed. The driver then proceeded to pick up a load that Allied Systems, Ltd. had dispatched him on earlier that morning.

En route, the tractor-trailer crashed into the back of a motorcycle that was allegedly slowing or stopped on the highway in Benton County, MO. The 48-year-old motorcyclist suffered permanent brain injuries as a result of the crash.

In his suit against the truck driver and the trucking company, the motorcyclist alleged the brakes on the tractor-trailer were defective and that both the driver and the trucking company, as the driver’s employer, were liable (Owen v. Allied Systems Ltd., cause no. 07BE-CC00004, Benton County Circuit Court).

The case was filed in the city of St. Louis, MO. The trucking company then filed for bankruptcy in Georgia, forcing the motorcyclist’s attorneys to obtain permission from the bankruptcy court in Georgia to proceed in the Missouri personal injury case. Once the bankruptcy judge granted permission, a St. Louis City Circuit Court judge transferred the case to Benton County, MO.

The driver’s insurance carrier agreed to settle for $1 million. Allied denied the driver was acting in the course and scope of his employment at the time of the crash. The case was mediated by Judge Corrigan in St. Louis, MO. The highest offer at mediation was $1.8 million. During the trial, Allied offered $2.5 million which Plaintiff refused. As the trial progressed, Allied offered $3.5 million, which Plaintiff also refused. During the second week of trial, Allied offered to settle for $5.5 million in new money. Plaintiff accepted this offer to settle in addition to the driver’s $1 million policy for a total of $6.5 million.

“We put a significant amount of time and effort into obtaining this result for our client. Five years was a long time to be working on the case,” says attorney John Page. “Ultimately we were able to resolve this case for an amount that will help our client make up for the harms and losses he and his family suffered as a result of this crash.”

We are a progressive St. Louis law firm with personal injury lawyers that are dedicated exclusively to representing personal injury victims that are injured in tractor trailer, motorcycle, and car accidents.

Page states, “Lawyers from all over the country call on us to help them with their serious injury and wrongful death cases. The majority of our serious injury and death cases are handled on a referral basis from other lawyers.”

SOURCE: Page Law

Page Law
(314) 322-8515
john@pagelaw.com
www.pagelaw.com