Jury Awards Nearly $21 Million in Fatal Truck Accident

By Evan Mix

Published on May 15, 2007

Robert E. Bohne died in the hospital of complications from injuries sustained in the multi-vehicle crash. He never left the hospital after the accident. Truck driver Turner Bruce Yarbrough's truck, which was carrying hazardous waste at the time, collided with Bohne's car on the freeway, causing it to flip over.

The suit named Yarbrough and his employer Enviroclean Management Services, Inc. as defendants. According to the suit, Enviroclean failed to perform appropriate background checks and drug screenings on Yarbrough. Yarbrough had a history of crack cocaine use, multiple admissions to drug rehabilitation facilities, multiple driver's license suspensions, and a conviction for possession of marijuana in his truck.

The lawsuit asked for wrongful death damages in addition to compensation for medical and funeral expenses. The jury awarded $9.8 million in actual damages and an additional $11 million in exemplary damages to Bohne's estate and to his widow, Kathleen Bohne.

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