Car Accident Lawyer Wins $32M Verdict for Family of Nurse Killed in Crash with DUI Trucker
By Dean I. Weitzman, Esq. on October 11th, 2019
The family of a 43-year-old hospice nurse who was killed in 2012 when a dump truck being operated by a driver who was under the influence of marijuana smashed head-on into her minivan has received a $32 million verdict from a jury in Anderson County, Kentucky.
Marie Garmon was driving her minivan on Sept. 7, 2012, on U.S. 62 in Anderson County when a dump truck operated by Eric D. Jenkins crossed the road’s centerline and crashed head-on into her vehicle, according to an Oct. 4 story by The (Louisville) Courier Journal. Garmon suffered serious injuries and died five days after the crash.
The truck driver, who was employed by Atlas Excavating, was tested after the crash and was found to have marijuana in his bloodstream, the story reported. His employer allegedly allowed him to work without having completed a pre-employment drug screening, the report continued.
Garmon’s legs and pelvis were broken in the crash and she was trapped in her vehicle for more than an hour while firefighters worked to extract her. She succumbed to her severe injuries dive days later. Garmon, who has two children, was returning from a patient visit when she was struck.
Jenkins was charged after the crash with murder and DUI and pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to six years in prison. Jenkins allegedly smoked marijuana in the hours leading up to the wreck, along with taking Loritab and Valium pills, according to court documents.
The jury deliberated about 2 ½ hours before returning its verdict, which included $10 million in punitive damages and $5 million for pain and suffering. Garmon’s widower, David Garmon, had filed the lawsuit against the trucking company and the driver.
Legal cases like this one occur around the nation every day and are examples of similar kinds of car crash 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.
When you need a car accident injury attorney, 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 crash, slip and fall, workplace injury or wrongful death in Philadelphia or 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.
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