Daimler ordered to pay $160 million after trucker injured in crash due to ‘defective driver’s seat’

An Alabama jury issued a $160 million verdict against Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) following a crash that left a truck driver with major injuries.

Following a two week trial in Clarke County, Alabama, a jury handed down a $160 million verdict against DTNA, according to the legal team representing truck driver Leonard Street.

Of this, $75 million will go to Street, and $10 million will go to Street’s wife, who now cares for him. The remaining $75 million was issued in punitive damages, according to WALA. DTNA is expected to appeal the ruling.

Attorneys say that Street was operating a 2023 Western Star truck hauling wood on Highway 84 near Grove Hill, Alabamam when he was forced off the road by a pickup truck, leading to a rollover crash.

Street fractured his neck in the crash and was left an incomplete quadriplegic.

Street’s lawyers argued that DTNA was at fault for the injuries he sustained because of the design of the cab and driver’s seat.

From the Beasley Allen Law Firm:

“The 2023 Western Star truck had a defective roof designed in 1995 that remained unchanged for nearly 30 years and a defective driver’s suspension seat. Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) and Western Star Trucks were found to have defectively designed and manufactured the truck.

These defects caused Street’s injuries. DTNA had an automatic pull-down seat for rollover safety but refused to make it a standard feature.

Rollovers represent the single most harmful event for truck drivers, and DTNA failed to increase cab strength for nearly 30 years despite having this knowledge.

This should have never happened, but we hope this verdict will send a message to all heavy truck manufacturers that driver safety should always come first.“