A trucking company in Duluth that is no longer in operation settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of a motorcyclist who died in 2007. According to reporting, the motorcyclist died on Interstate 35 when a truck owned by the trucking company stopped in front of him suddenly.
The attorney representing the survivors said that the truck driver did not have adequate training in how to handle an overheated vehicle. The motorcyclist attempted to stop his vehicle, but was hit from behind by a car, which pushed him into the truck, taking his life.
According to the Duluth News Tribune, the case was settled for an undisclosed amount of money before the pretrial hearing. The trucking company has been out of business since 2009.
Understanding Settlements and Trucking Companies
Sometimes, a wrongful death lawsuit settlement will be offered by a trucking company that is being sued for the death of an individual by their survivors. In fact, trucking companies will sometimes offer these settlements very quickly after the lawsuit is filed, in an effort to avoid going to court. This is particularly the case if the trucking company has reason to believe that the lawsuit is going to win and if they want to avoid paying for the court costs associated with arguing a case that they are likely to lose.
It’s important to remember that, if one of these settlements is offered, the trucking companies attorneys will attempt to offer as little money as possible to get the survivors of the victim to avoid taking them to court. The settlements are oftentimes offered well in advance of the family even getting legal representation, with the trucking company counting on the family thinking that they’re getting more money than they actually are relative to the expenses that go along with losing a family member.
Get a Lawyer
It’s impossible to argue a good settlement deal without having an attorney of your own. Sometimes, trucking companies will do the ethical thing and will offer enough money in the settlement to genuinely provide for the family of the person who was killed. In other cases, this is not at all how it turns out. Having a qualified personal injury attorney representing you in a wrongful death action allows you to be sure that any settlement you are offered will be sufficient to take care of your family after your family has suffered the loss of a loved one.
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Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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