A jury in Sacramento County, Calif., awarded $31.9 million to a woman who was paralyzed and suffered brain damage in a 2010 traffic collision. The verdict requires the defendant, Silva Trucking, to pay that amount to 56-year-old Debra Hackett. Ms. Hackett was driving an 18-passenger bus on Highway 12 about 30 miles south of Sacramento when she collided with a tractor-trailer unit coming from the opposite direction that had jackknifed in front of her.
Ms. Hackett was made a paraplegic. She suffered skull and facial fractures and a traumatic brain injury in the crash. Her husband was awarded $3 million by the jury. Silva Trucking, which employed the truck driver, didn’t dispute liability. As a result, the trial was held only to determine the amount of the verdict.
Sources: Claims Journal and The Sacramento Bee
