Attorneys Dallas M. Hartman and Patrick L. Sullivan represented the family of a young woman who was on the threshold of beginning her college education when her life was tragically cut short in a devastating trucking accident in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. The loss of such a promising young life demanded a thorough and aggressive pursuit of accountability against all responsible parties.
The case centered on the negligence of a shipper who failed to exercise reasonable care in hiring and selecting a qualified and safe truck driver. To establish liability and demonstrate the full scope of the family's loss, the firm retained a team of specialized experts, including a trucking expert, a hiring, firing, and driver qualifications expert, and an accident reconstructionist. The combination of a judgment entered against one defendant and a settlement reached with others produced a total recovery of $15,650,000 for the victim's family. This result stands as one of the most significant wrongful death recoveries in the region and a powerful statement that negligent shippers will be held fully accountable for the consequences of their careless decisions.