California Woman Awarded $36 Million for Injuries in Tractor-Trailer Collision
By Mary Mitchell
Published on November 21, 2006
Falcon was severely injured in the collision and later developed brain damage. The driver of the Taurus, Virginia Walker, died five days after the accident. Falcon’s two children were riding in the back seat and suffered minor injuries.
Federal regulations require, but do not mandate, that tractor trailers have "underride protection" to prevent smaller vehicles from going underneath the tractor trailer. The Panola County jury that decided on Falcon’s lawsuit against Lufkin Industries, the manufacturer of the 18-wheeler involved in the collision, found that their tractor trailer was defectively designed and lacked underride protection, and that the U.S. government regulations were not adequate to protect the public from the risk of serious injury in such collisions.
On Nov. 20, the jury awarded $36 million to Kelleigh Falcon and an additional $2.5 million to the family of Virginia Walker. Lufkin Industries is planning to issue a statement regarding the case.
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