Anderson County jury awards record $8.6 million to wreck victim

An Anderson County jury has issued a record $8.6 million jury verdict on behalf of Michelle Gaines who was severely injured when her car was struck by a defective and poorly maintained tractortrailer rig driven by an unlicensed driver.

Jurors in District Judge Deborah Evans’ 87th District Court issued the unanimous verdict last week for plaintiff Gaines, finding that truck driv- er Kenneth Lee Woodworth and truck owner Benny Joe Adkinson, both of Longview, Texas and business associate Joseph P. Pritchett of Corpus Christi were liable for their actions in the June 11, 2006, crash.

Gains was represented by Scott Clearman and Brian Walsh of the Houston based law firm, The Clearman Law Firm, Palestine based attorney Dick Swift and Austin based attorney Brad Rock Reagan.

Gaines was returning from visiting Hill College where she just received a soccer scholarship when her car was struck by a tractor trailer that ran a red light while carrying oil field equipment on Loop 256 in Palestine. Evidence showed that the trailer’s brakes were intentionally disabled and that Woodworth’s driver’s license had been suspended for more than five years at the time of the crash.

Investigators found dozens of safety violations on the truck, as well as skid marks for 100 feet leading up to the intersection and skid marks that continued for another 800 feet after the point of impact with Gaines’ vehicle. Gaines suffered numerous broken bones and internal injuries in the crash and spent 14 months recuperating in hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

“This was a horrific example of negligence on the part of the truck’s driver and the joint enterprise involved in this operation,” said attorney Brian Walsh of the Clearman Law Firm. “These individuals showed utter disregard for the safety of the driving public, and I hope that this jury’s unanimous verdict sends an important message to trucking companies everywhere.”

Following the wreck and investigation, Woodworth and Adkinson pleaded guilty to criminal charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for thir involvement in the crash and received probated sentences. Swift, who has praticed personal injury law in Anderson County for over three dacades, says the jury’s award is a record verdict for Anderson County.