Injured man awarded $8 million after semi truck fails to stop at stop sign

An injured motorist was awarded $8 million for a crash involving a semi truck that failed to stop at a stop sign just over two years ago. 

The accident happened on March 3rd, 2024 near the intersection of W. Reno Ave and Frontier Drive in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma County jury awarded 31-year-old Aldin Lewis $8 million total on March 26th, 2026. 

According to The Oklahoman, 32-year-old truck driver Wilayat Hussain was driving for Chandi 209 Trucking when he pulled out of a private driveway and onto Reno Avenue “without adequate warning,” the suit states. Hussain reportedly failed to stop at stop sign and his semi truck was left blocking both eastbound lanes of Reno Avenue  as he attempted to turn, causing Lewis to crash into the semi truck. Lewis says he could not see Hussain’s semi truck at the time of the crash. 

Lewis’s 1985 Chevy K10, passed down from his father, was totaled in the crash, and Lewis sustained serious injuries to his neck, head, and other parts of his body. Doctors say he should undergo surgery on his neck as a result of the crash. 

Lewis’s lawyers argue that Chandi 209 Trucking was grossly negligent when they hired and trained Hussain, who was a recent immigrant from Pakistan and who struggled with English. Chandi 209 Trucking has denied the allegations of negligence and all liability for damages. Attorneys representing the company stated that Hussain “was turning his tractor trailer while in the course and scope of his employment” but say that Lewis “failed to yield to the presence of Hussain’s truck in the roadway,” which led to the crash. They also argued that Lewis  “was not injured as severely as alleged.” 

Lewis has since been awarded almost $4.3 million in actual damages and $3.5 million in punitive damages, for a total of around $8 million. 

“It was a great result and we’re super happy with it,” said Travis Leverett, one of Lewis’ attorneys with the Parrish DeVaughn law firm in OKC. “And I think it sends a really strong message to the trucking company that you really need to be careful about who you’re putting behind the wheel of a semi.”

“I want (these businesses) to take away that, while it may seem like a good thing in the short term to hire drivers on the cheap, it’s really better in the long run — and will probably save them money in the long run — if they hired qualified professional drivers,” Leverett said.

Lewis currently works to support his family and has a new baby on the way. 

“Life’s probably not going to look like how it was going to look before, but he’s a happy guy,” Leverett said.