Trucking company JHOC Inc. has recently been ordered to pay $33.6 million to a man, who had filed a truck accident lawsuit that claimed he suffered serious injuries from an 18 wheeler truck collision. Along with the company, The State reports that truck driver David Hill must pay the victim of the truck accident and his father a separate jury award of $14 million.

According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Brandon G. had been riding passenger in the vehicle his father Willie G. had been driving and had reportedly suffered serious injuries after the crash. The claim specified the father and son were driving north of I-95 in the northbound lanes of I-26, and were reportedly rear ended by the JHOC truck.

The crash reportedly happened on Aug. 4, 2015 in broad daylight and clear weather, with the lawsuit stating traffic had been fairly heavy and moving approximately 60 mph. The lawsuit alleges the JHOC truck had been traveling 45 mph at the time of the collision.

According to the truck accident lawsuit, Willie had to suddenly slow down to avoid hitting a disabled vehicle driving in front of him, which had been entering the I-26 right hand lane.

The force of the 18 wheeler rear ending Willie’s van had reportedly sent them into a tree. Brandon reportedly suffered permanent injuries that left him disabled and will impact him for the rest of his life.

The lawsuit alleged the collision happened because the JHOC truck had been “following too closely and traveling too fast” and had reportedly caused Brandon to suffer “injuries to his neck, back, right shoulder and other parts of his body.”

The plaintiff’s semi truck accident attorney pointed out that there had been missing documentation of the results from Hill’s drug test along with the missing logs of how much time the driver had taken for sleep. The attorney further argued that Hill had driven in a negligent and aggressive manner by failing to leave enough space between him and the claimant’s van.

Overview of Truck Accident Statistics

According to a report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), various causes contribute to 18 wheeler collisions. The study reportedly reviewed 120,000 large truck crashes that occurred between April 2001 and December 2003, which was supposed to serve as a representative example for the county.

Each of the collisions reportedly involved serious injuries or death allegedly caused by 18 wheelers. According to the study, 963 crashes involving 1,123 large trucks and 959 cars resulted in 249 fatalities and 1,654 injuries.

The report found that a variety of factors, which included the condition of the trucks, weather conditions, roadway factors, driver’s fatigue, driving behaviors of the truck drivers and the surrounding vehicles, contributed to truck accidents.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a total of 4,102 people died in large truck accidents in 2017, with 68 percent of the injured being in passenger vehicles.

An Orangeburg County jury ultimately found JHOC and Hill liable for the accident and ordered them to pay Brandon $33.6 million and Willie $14 million including actual and punitive damages.