A St. Louis City jury rendered a $462 million verdict on Sept. 5, 2024 against a trailer manufacturer, Wabash National Corporation, finding the company responsible for the deaths of two young fathers killed when the rear impact guard allowed their car to go underneath the rear of a trailer.
Case Summary
On Thursday, September 5, 2024, a St. Louis City jury rendered a $462 million verdict against a trailer manufacturer, Wabash National Corporation, finding the company responsible for the deaths of two young fathers killed when their car went underneath the rear of a trailer. The jury awarded $462 million in damages. That included $6 million to each family, for a total of $12 million in compensatory damages, and $450 million in punitive damages.
Key Highlights
- The trailer in question was manufactured and sold in 2004 by Wabash National Corporation.
- The Rear Impact Guard or RIG design on that trailer is called the “U.S. RIG,” which is a two-post design, meaning it has two vertical bars and a singular, horizontal bar at the bottom. That design came out in 1985 and was largely unchanged until 2007.
- Wabash did not perform a single test on the U.S. RIG of any kind from 1985 to 1996.
- Upon impact, the rear impact guard (RIG) snapped like a toothpick and, as a result, the vehicle went underneath the trailer—a classic underride crash. The bed of the trailer crushed into the passenger compartment decapitating both young men in the process.
Underride Crash Case Analysis
Simon Law successfully argued that the trailer and trucking industry have been at the forefront of lobbying efforts to prevent federal regulations from requiring Rear Impact Guards be made to prevent underride at survivable speeds.
Simon Law presented evidence that as the 1998 minimum standard for RIGs came into effect, Wabash and all major trailer manufacturers got together and entered a joint defense agreement to strategize defending inevitable underride crashes, rather than solving the underride problem.
The U.S. RIG in this case allegedly met the 1998 federal standards. Wabash argued that it did what the government told them to do, met the federal standard, and therefore the RIG could not be defective. Simon Law presented how the federal standard was developed, including evidence that the industry lobbied against stronger regulations and watered down whatever got passed, resulting in an ineffective and meaningless minimum federal standard that Wabash—and the entire industry—knew did not prevent underride in a wide variety of foreseeable and survivable crashes.
Underride Crash Lawsuit Outcome and Impact
The $462 million verdict delivered by the jury holds Wabash National Corporation accountable for their actions and provides compensation to the families of both of the young fathers killed in this crash for their devastating loss.
The verdict sends a powerful message to the trucking and trailer industries that safety and crashworthiness of trailers must be a top priority, and that investment must be made to solve this preventable type of crash.
The successful representation of the families in this case Simon Law demonstrates the firm’s commitment to seeking justice for victims and their families, reinforcing its reputation as a formidable advocate for those affected by corporate negligence.
For the sake of profit, the families in this case paid the ultimate price – the loss of their fathers, sons and a husband. We hope that their lives are memorialized through this verdict, and that the industry will finally begin to do what’s right and make efforts to prevent underride crashes.
We thank the jurors for their dedication and service and look forward to day when lives are not lost due to preventable underride crashes.
Additional Case Information
For additional information, contact Johnny M. Simon at The Simon Law Firm at jmsimon@simonlawpc.com.
- Siegel, David. $462 Verdict Returned In Trial Over Truck’s Rear Impact Guard Design. Courtroom View Network, September 6, 2024. $462M Verdict Returned In Trial Over Truck’s Rear Impact Guard Design – Watch Full Trial via CVN
- Coronel, Justina. ‘These Deaths Were Preventable’: St. Louis Jury Returns $462 Million Verdict For Families Of Men Killed In Underride Crash. KSDK. September 6, 2024. ‘These deaths were preventable’: St. Louis jury returns $462-million verdict for families of men killed in underride crash
- Drew, James. St. Louis Jury Renders $462 Million Verdict In Trucking Deaths. St. Louis Business Journal. September 6, 2024. St. Louis jury renders $462M verdict in trucking deaths
- Kull, Katie. St. Louis families awarded $462 million in trial over failed safety device in semitrailer crash. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 7, 2024. St. Louis families awarded $462M in trial over failed safety device in semitrailer crash
- Gallagher, John. Wabash National Hit With $462M Verdict In Trailer Equipment Case. FreightWaves. September 6, 2024. Wabash National hit with $462M verdict in trailer equipment case
- Taube, David. Jury Awards $462M In Damages In Wabash Lawsuit. Trucking Dive. September 9, 2024. Jury awards $462M in damages in Wabash lawsuit .
