$3M Verdict to Truck Driver Who Was Severely Injured by Oncoming Truck

By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on November 2nd, 2018

A 49-year-old Florida dump truck driver whose vehicle was struck by an oncoming dump truck in July of 2016, causing serious injuries that left him unable to work, has been awarded $3.38 million in damages by a Florida jury.

Joel Capote, who owned his own trucking company until the crash, suffered multiple fractures to his leg, spine and face as well as facial cuts, all of which have required multiple surgeries and other care, due to the incident, according to an Oct. 5 story by the Tampa Bay Times.

The crash occurred on July 20, 2016, as Capote was driving his Mack dump truck east on Florida State Road 674 near County Road 579 in Wimauma just before noon, according to court records.

As Capote was driving, an oncoming dump truck being driven by Charles Edward Brooks, 49, of Wesley Chapel, drifted into the eastbound lane where Capote was traveling and crashed into a pickup truck and trailer that had been traveling in front of him. Brooks’ dump truck then collided with Capote’s dump truck, pushing it off the road and into an embankment, the story reported.

Brooks was ticketed by the Florida Highway Patrol for careless driving, which was later dismissed, according to the story. Capote then sued Brooks and JVS Contracting, which owned the truck he was driving, according to the paper.

Capote has received intensive care and ongoing physical therapy, pain management and mental health support since the crash, as well as medical bills totaling almost $520,000 so far, the story reported. He has not been able to work during his recovery and lost his commercial driver’s license because he was not able to complete the required physical examination.

Legal cases like this one occur around the nation every day and are examples of similar 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 fall, workplace injury or 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 215-914-5471 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.

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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.