$17M Verdict to Survivors of 3 Killed by Truck in Road Work Crash

By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on June 1st, 2018

A Charleston, S.C., jury has awarded a $17 million verdict in the case of a family of three who were killed in March 2015 when their SUV was struck from behind by a tractor-trailer and caught fire as traffic stacked up in a highway construction zone.

The victims, 34-year-old Canadian Army Private Jeremiah Cross, his 32-year-old wife, Crystal, and their infant son, Greysen, were killed when the tractor-trailer, traveling at 70 mph, smashed into their slowing Honda SUV on Interstate 95 on March 21, 2015, causing the car to catch fire, according to a May 11 story by The (Charleston) Post and Courier. The family had been on vacation at Disney World in Florida before returning to Toronto, where they lived.

The driver of the tractor-trailer, which was owned by Connecticut-based XPO Logistics and a subsidiary, had been operating the truck using cruise control at the time of the crash and had not noticed that traffic was slowing, according to the story. The truck driver did not apply his vehicle’s brakes before the collision.

The trucker passed nine warning signs that told drivers of the construction zone and of the reduced speed limits within the highway’s work zone.

After smashing into the Cross family’s Honda, the tractor-trailer then crashed into a Jeep that was also sitting in traffic in the construction zone, killing a Pennsylvania couple – Barry Himes, 52, and Jacqueline McCann, 51, the story reported.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of the deceased Cross family members against XPO Logistics, its subsidiary and the truck driver raised issues about driver training provided by the company, as well as about its past safety record, the story reported.

The jury reached a $5 million award for each deceased member of the Cross family, as well as another $2 million award for Mr. Cross and his 7-month-old son, “who were thought to have survived for a time until their SUV became engulfed in flames,” the report continued. The case was heard in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

Legal cases like this one occur around the nation every day and are examples of the many kinds of cases that MyPhillyLawyer attorneys regularly work on tirelessly for our own clients. Often, we are not able to discuss the cases we are actively working on due to confidentiality requirements, so we discuss other relevant cases in the news such as this one to illustrate the legal situations people find themselves in every day.

We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in any kind of vehicle incident anywhere in the United States. We pledge to make sure that you and your family get the compassionate, dogged and experienced legal representation that you deserve and expect from a professional legal team which works hard to uncover every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.

We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.

Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-(866) 352-4572 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.

When Winning Matters Most, Call MyPhillyLawyer.

 

Listen to Court Radio every Sunday at 7 a.m. with me, attorney Dean Weitzman of MyPhillyLawyer, on Philadelphia’s Old School 100.3 WRNB, Boom 103.9 or on Praise 107.9 WPPZ FM. Listen to Court Radio online or on the radio every week for the latest on legal topics and to get answers to your legal questions. In addition to addressing the topical issues of the day, we’ll answer caller questions on a wide range of legal issues.