In this conversation, Gruber Law Offices Attorney Eric Knobloch discusses a recent $10.24 million truck accident settlement.
The Interview
Carli: Congratulations to you and your clients on this result. Please fill me in on some of the details of this case.
Attorney Knobloch: Thanks, Carli. We represented two family members and the Estate of an individual who passed away in a horrible truck crash. One of the family members suffered orthopedic injuries and the other family member suffered a traumatic brain injury. The injuries and impact on the family were terrible. What happened here was awful and, tragically, was completely avoidable.
Our clients were hard-working, deserving folks and by all accounts great people.
Carli: Tell us a little bit about the lawsuit.
Attorney Knobloch: We filed a formal lawsuit in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. The investigative and discovery process revealed extremely helpful information. We strongly believe many of the facts we uncovered during this process were very damaging to the defense of the case.
From a legal perspective, the case involved several causes of action including a traditional negligence claim, a negligent hiring, training, and supervision claim, along with claims against the brokerage company.
We fought against numerous defendants, including the truck driver, several different trucking companies, and various insurers.
In addition to some of the challenges involving liability, the case also involved complex insurance coverage analysis given the arguments surrounding insurance policy applicability and coverage amounts.
We handled this matter aggressively and put a great deal of time, effort, and resources into the case. We ultimately reached a $10,240,000.00 settlement for our clients.
Carli: I know you personally handle many serious truck crash cases. What are some things that make truck accident cases so unique?
Attorney Knobloch: Yes, Carli. We spend a tremendous amount of time on trucking cases. We have a dedicated trucking team at our law firm that focuses on catastrophic truck crash cases.
Serious truck crash cases not only require specific knowledge and skill but also require a large team of professionals. Trucking cases also require significant monetary resources and investment.
Trucking is a unique type of law that differs tremendously from a more traditional automobile case. A traditional automobile case usually involves a driver who is not a professional driver. A trucking case usually involves a professionally trained driver who is therefore held to different standards, such as the Commercial Drivers License Manual and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations.
Carli: I’ve heard that in trucking a lot of the trucks have video surveillance and black boxes, is that true?
Attorney Knobloch: Yes, many trucks have both video footage and the “black box” you are referring to. The video can be inward facing, meaning it faces inward on the driver or outward facing, meaning it faces out to the roadways.
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The “black box” you refer to is often called an Engine Control Module in trucking cases. In our truck cases, the ECM and other on-board technology can provide extremely valuable data and insight. For example, this data can show the exact timeframe a driver had cruise control enabled, their speed prior to a crash and how and when brakes were applied. Another way technology can be helpful in truck accident cases is to determine whether the trucking company is appropriately monitoring its drivers and whether the trucking company or motor carrier is promoting an atmosphere of safety and compliance amongst its drivers.
Carli: Thank you. Sounds like that can provide important information in investigating a case. On another note, who from Gruber Law Offices worked on this case?
Attorney Knobloch: This case result was truly a team effort. I was the primary attorney on the case, but worked very closely with several team members- too many to mention all by name. Some of the folks who helped play an integral role in the result were Attorney Steven Gruber, Attorney Nicholas Hermann, and Attorney Michael LoCoco. Also instrumental were paralegals Suzanne Klein and Krissie Fehly as well as our in-house investigators working behind the scenes gathering investigative materials.
At the end of the day, we are proud that we truly helped make a difference in the lives of our clients, and held the trucking company accountable for this tragic incident.
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