Attorney Aaron Watson has recovered a landmark settlement for his client, five million dollars. One year after filing a lawsuit against a Canadian trucking company, Watson recovered the entire insurance policy in hotly disputed litigation. Before filing the lawsuit, the trucking company's insurance carrier had offered no money to resolve the case. The insurance carrier denied fault and maintained that Watson’s client was entirely at-fault for causing the automobile collision.The Florida Highway Patrol faulted Watson’s client for causing the crash. After taking several depositions of the trucking company employees, including investigating officers with the Florida Highway Patrol, Watson argued that the trucking company was partially at fault for causing the collision. After hiring accident reconstructionists, engineers, and trucking safety experts, Watson presented evidence showing that the trucking company and driver were responsible for causing the fatal automobile collision. Despite the insurance carrier’s settlement agreement to pay all of the available insurance monies under its’ policy, the trucking company maintains its denial of responsibility for causing the collision.
Watson represented the family of a motorist who had sustained fatal injuries after being rear-ended by an eighteen-wheeler near Jacksonville, Florida. The motorist ran out of gas on the highway and was unable to move his disabled vehicle off of the roadway. While stopped on the road at night, the motorist activated his hazard lights. Despite the glare of his hazard lights for nearly one minute, the truck driver failed to reduce speed and barrelled into the rear of the stopped vehicle at approximately 60 miles per hour. Watson argued that the truck driver was negligent for failing to maintain a safe stopping distance. Watson also argued that the trucker was distracted because he failed to reduce speed, move into the emergency lane, or take any evasive maneuvers before impact. The Watson Firms’ investigation revealed that the trucker was on a two-hour phone call within two seconds of the collision-- which was against company policy. Additionally, the crash was recorded on a dashboard camera inside the 18-wheeler. The video footage of the crash was gruesome.
The lawsuit, filed in the Middle District of Florida, was scheduled for trial on January 3, 2023. Excited about his landmark victory, Watson stated, “I am happy to obtain some level of justice for my client’s family. The Florida Highway Patrol blamed my client for causing the collision, but due to his death, my client couldn't tell his side of the story. I believe the ticket was issued wrongfully, and their investigation was shoddy, to say the least.” Watson stated, “The trucking company refused to pay any money to compensate my client’s family for his death. Once they hired The Watson Firm, we investigated thoroughly and recovered the maximum amount payable under the defendant's insurance policy. I believe the insurance company caved because of our thoroughness, skill, and advocacy while prosecuting this case.”
This settlement marks the second-largest truck accident award in Watson’s career. The most significant award was a jury verdict of $12.6 million rendered by an Escambia County jury. For more information, visit watsonfirm.com for a free case evaluation.