Wabash National hit with $462M verdict over 2019 accident that killed two

Source: The Trucker

A St. Louis jury resulting found Wabash National liable for $12 million in compensatory damages and $450 million in punitive damages related to a 2019 motor vehicle accident in which a passenger vehicle traveling at a high speed struck the back of their trailer.
The company said that it believes the $12 million charge will be covered by its insurance policies, but that the outcome of the case could materially hit its financial condition, operations and cash flows.
“While this was a tragic accident, we respectfully disagree with the jury’s verdict and firmly believe it is not supported by the facts or the law,” said Kristin Glazner, general counsel and chief administrative officer for Wabash. “No rear impact guard or trailer safety technology has ever existed that would have made a difference here.”
After a two-week trial, a St. Louis City jury awarded the verdict on Thursday to two St. Louis families. Both 30-year-old Taron Tailor, who was driving, and his passenger, 23-year-old Nicholas Perkins were instantly killed on May 19, 2019, when their car went underneath the rear of a trailer along Interstate 44 and 55 near the 7th Street exit.
Wabash also maintains that despite precedent to the contrary, the jury was prevented from hearing critical evidence in the case, including that the driver’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at the time of the accident. The company also stated the fact that neither the driver nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt was also kept from the jury, even though plaintiffs argued both would have survived a 55-mile-per-hour collision had the vehicle not broken through the trailer’s rear impact guard.