Alterman v. Zep Construction

Summary

A tractor trailer jack-knifed into traffic at a road construction crew's moving roadblock, which resulted in an 11-vehicle pile-up on I-75 in Florida. The rolling roadblock was located on the blind side of a hill. Two people died as a result of the collision. This wrongful death lawsuit involves James Brashear, who died in the crash, and his 11-year old son Tyler, who survived.

The plaintiff alleges that Zep failed to adequately warn drivers about the road block. Zep responds that the road block was properly marked, and that the accident resulted instead from the truck driver's negligence.

The jury awarded approximately $4.5M in compensatory damages, and $150K in punitive damages.

For additional details about the case, see the CVN Blog.

View a free video clip from the case:
Defense attorney, Paula Parisi, cross examines Dr. Nancy Baird -- Clip 1

Outcome

Fault: 65%- Zep, 30%-TCP
Damages (James): 210,647.28
Funeral (James): 10,000
Loss (James): 1,000,000-Past, 3,000,000-Future
Medical(Tyler): 46,250.25-Past, 10,000- Future
Loss(Tyler): 75,000-Past, 0- Future
Punitive for both James and Taylor: 100,000- Zep, 50,000-TCP
Total Damges: 4,351,897.67
Total Punitive:150,000