Judge appoints receiver for Connecticut truck company in fatal crash lawsuit

By Jim Greene

Published on October 13, 2005

Hartford Superior Court Judge Vanessa Bryant appointed Bridgeport attorney Matthew Beatman to control the finances of American Crushing & Recycling. The company is being sued after one of its trucks plowed into 19 other vehicles stopped for a red light on July 29, killing four, including the truck driver, and seriously injuring four others.

A crash victim's family and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal request the company's assets be frozen when rumors were circulated that American Crushing owner David Wilcox was attempting to sell off company assets.

Wilcox failed to appear at a recent hearing before Bryant, at which he was to have produced company financial records. Bryant threatened to charge Wilcox with contempt of court if he fails to appear at the next scheduled hearing.

Police suspect mechanical failure and driver error in the accident, and say the truck had a history of safety violations.

Attorney Michael Stratton, representing the family of Paul Stotler in a wrongful death lawsuit against the trucking company, expressed satisfaction that Wilcox has been banned from company. Stratton told Bryant that an investigator he hired saw Wilcox trying to remove tires from the property. Stratton said he thought Wilcox

Comment on this article →