2.7 Million Dollar Verdict for Deadly Smoke Break
( Pittsburgh PA ) After a five day trial, Attorney Alan Perer successfully obtained a jury verdict of 2.7 Million Dollars for two adult children whose mother, while an employee at a trucking terminal, was crushed to death by a truck at her company’s trucking terminal.
Our clients’ mother worked as a night-shift billing clerk for a freight company. At her place of employment, the employee smoking area was outside the employee parking lot – requiring employees to travel through the depot gates and through dangerous truck traffic.
The decedent was killed when she was struck by a truck while returning from a cigarette break. Attorney Perer said that “the lighting was terrible – it was a free-for all.
Truck drivers had to stop to avoid pedestrians; pedestrians had to scramble around trucks. Employees complained to supervisors, some of whom were smokers. This was an accident waiting to happen.”
The jury verdict recognized the special relationship between the mother and her 32 year old daughter. They were “best friends.” Mom cared for her daughter’s son daily. They spoke many times a day. And her daughter relied on her mom for advice and guidance continually.
The defendant company appealed the verdict, but settled during the appeal.
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