$4.25 Million Verdict for Family of Infant Killed in Tractor-Trailer Accident

Following a two-week trial, attorneys Alan M. Feldman, Daniel J. Mann, and Edward S. Goldis secured a $4.25 million verdict on behalf of the family of a 2-1/2 month old infant killed in a tractor-trailer accident. In August 2003, the infant plaintiff was traveling with his grandmother near Harrisburg, Pa. Careful investigation revealed that the grandmother’s car was attempting to enter Interstate 83 from an on-ramp. As she paused to wait for a break in traffic to enter the highway, a minivan behind her suddenly entered I-83, in front of an oncoming tractor-trailer. The operator of the tractor-trailer jerked his steering wheel to the right and turned into the merge lane, where, for the first time, he saw the completely stopped car in which the infant and his grandmother were traveling. The tractor-trailer rear-ended the vehicle, which burst into flames.

Feldman, Mann, and Goldis aggressively prosecuted this case against the tractor-trailer operator. One of the leading heavy truck accident reconstruction experts in the country was retained in order to assist the jury in understanding how the accident happened. Another leading tractor-trailer expert explained to the jury the obligations of a tractor- trailer operator in situations such as the one confronted by the defendant driver in this case.

The attorneys used a high tech presentation at trial. This allowed the jury to see video clips of the defendant’s deposition and the accident location, and facilitated instantaneous access to thousands of pages of documents, deposition transcripts and photographs. They also prepared a detailed animation in order to explain to the jury how the accident happened.