Trucker Forces Car Off Road; Jury Awards $927,000 To Victims
PROVO—A large tractor-trailer rig claimed it was blameless for forcing a driver to swerve, causing that driver to smash into a car waiting at a stop sign on a Provo city street.
A Utah County jury disagreed and awarded over $927,000 to a local man and his wife for their injuries. They were represented by attorney Ernest Istook of Howard, Lewis & Petersen (2023 Utah County Case #200401416).
The jury found the truck driver 90% at fault; the driver dodging the truck was only 10% at fault. The victim sitting at the stop sign had zero fault. The total judgment was just shy of $1-million after interest and court costs were added, with 90% paid by the trucker’s insurer. That insurance company had denied liability, “because his truck never struck anyone.”
Istook presented evidence by a truck-driving trainer at Salt Lake Community College, a safety video from the American Trucking Association, plus training requirements issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation. These demonstrated that the truck driver was never properly trained about his obligations to other vehicles. 
The jury’s verdict included $127,000 for past medical expenses, $100,000 for future medical expenses, plus $700,000 for the devastating impact on the victim and his family. They can no longer enjoy their previous active lifestyle of sports and the outdoors, as several witnesses described.
Ernest Istook has decades of experience helping people who have been wronged. IF YOU HAVE BEEN HARMED BY SOMEONE, YOU CAN REACH ERNEST AT 801-373-6345, OR AT istook@provolawyers.com.
