Hall & Evans’ attorney James C. Worthen recently obtained a defense verdict on behalf of a commercial motor carrier after five days of trial in the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming.
The case involved the driver of a semi-tractor-trailer becoming light-headed and blacking out while traveling on cruise control on a rural highway, near Cheyenne, Wyoming. The truck, which was on cruise control, traveled over a quarter of a mile over an open field before hitting the home of the Plaintiff, causing extensive damage. Wyoming law recognizes the sudden emergency doctrine. Worthen successfully convinced the jury that the driver of the commercial motor vehicle experienced a sudden emergency, as the driver had no prior history of blacking out, had a current DOT medical card, and a clear post-accident drug screen. The jury concluded that the driver, who was blacked out, was not negligent for his truck leaving the roadway and striking the Plaintiff’s home.