Successful Trial Strategies in Truck Accident Cases Highlighted in Trial Journal Piece from Langdon & Emison - 2012-06-01

Attorneys J. Kent Emison and Mark Emison have been published in the Summer 2012 issue of Trial Journal magazine, with "Trial Strategies for Holding Trucking Companies Responsible for their Employee's Negligent Conduct."  Trial Journal is published by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.

According to recent research from both NHTSA and the USDOT, the authors wrrite that "the vast majority of trucking accidents are caused by truck drivers with the following traits:

• Fatigue
• A history of prior accidents
• A history of driving violations
• A lack of experience
• A lack of training

"Sole blame shouldn’t always be placed on the individual truck drivers; in most cases, trucking companies place the driver in a position to fail.  We have seen in several of our recent cases that trucking companies notoriously cut corners and do the absolute minimum required by federal and state law when they do background checks on new drivers and train new drivers. 

"Truck drivers who lack training, have been involved in prior serious trucking accidents, and have a history of driving violations are routinely fired by one trucking company, only to be hired again and again by other companies.  Ultimately these bad truck drivers cause collisions that severely injure or kill motorists who share the highways with them."

The two attorneys were members of the successful trial team last November that earned a $7 million jury verdict in federal court in Arkansas in a fatal truck accident case. Kent has served as lead attorney in many successful outcomes for clients on behalf of individuals injured in truck accidents (or their families). Mark (pictured above) is a second-year associate with the firm, after having graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2010.  

To read the full article on trial stategies in truck accident cases, click here.