…and so a jury has ordered the trucking company, Auction Transport Inc., to pay $22.5 million over the resulting injuries to a young passenger in the accident, which occurred at rush hour on Kansas City’s I-435. Mary Coleman’s car, allegedly sideswiped by a third vehicle, had careened in front of the truck, but attorneys argued that the truck driver had been “driving too fast in congested traffic and not watching the road.” The jury found the trucking company responsible for just less than half the fault of the accident — a greater share of fault than the allegedly sideswiping driver — and Coleman for hardly any of it; the application of Missouri’s joint and several liability rule ensures that the company will be on the hook for nearly the entire amount. Good thing the truck had not swerved unpredictably into the car’s path to cause the accident — then it would have been more the fault of the car than of any other party, right? (Joe Lambe, “Crash victim awarded millions”, Kansas City Star, Sept. 25). More: CoyoteBlog comments.

Filed under: Missouri