Husband killed, wife injured after semi collided with stopped vehicle — $1.815M settlement

Type of action: Combined wrongful death and personal injury

Injuries alleged: Death of husband; concussion and fractures to the ribs, pelvis and thoracic spine of wife

Date resolved: 10/4/2021

Verdict or settlement: Settlement

Amount: $1,815,000

Attorneys for plaintiff (and city): Matthew W. Broughton, ­Andrew D. Finnicum, Evans G. Edwards and Abby M. Broughton, Roanoke

Description of case: In March 2021, the plaintiffs, a husband and wife, were traveling home to Pennsylvania from their vacation along the Gulf of Mexico when they encountered heavy traffic on Interstate 81 in Roanoke County. The husband brought their vehicle to a complete stop behind a passenger bus. The defendant then drove a fully loaded tractor-trailer into the rear of the plaintiffs’ vehicle at more than 55 mph, causing a chain reaction crash involving multiple plaintiffs. The husband died instantly; the wife, despite her multiple fractures, recovered from her injuries and returned to her regular employment.

The plaintiff’s law firm was contacted while the wife was still treating in a local trauma center. Matt Broughton, a licensed truck driver and his commercial trucking team immediately investigated the case. The firm was able to obtain $1,815,000 of the available $2 million in coverage despite hundreds of thousands of dollars in claims by multiple other plaintiffs. This result was obtained in mediation within seven months of the crash without serving the complaint.

Case information provided by Andrew D. Finnicum, counsel for the plaintiff.

[021-T-185]

CORRECTION (3/9/2022): This report has been corrected to remove an error in the “Name of judge or mediator” section.