Scranton, PA (September 2001) - A 2001 accident on I-81 in Luzerne County has resulted in a Massachusetts-based trucking company and its driver agreeing to pay an $850,000 settlement. The recipient of the award, Robert Reed of Irving, Texas, was driving his motorcycle at the time of the crash. He was represented by Atty. Daniel Webster Munley of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre law firm of Munley, Munley & Cartwright.

"Although his life will never be the same, I believe that our efforts have obtained justice for Mr. Reed and his family," said Atty. Munley. "I am hopeful that the thought of economic security for him and his family will be of comfort to him in the years ahead."

The accident occurred on September 7, 2001 south of Hazleton, where an overturned garbage truck created a mile-and-a-half traffic backup. Mr. Reed was stuck in the traffic jam when a 53-foot rig, owned by Truckadyne Transportation Inc., slammed into him and several other vehicles. Although the traffic jam was clearly visible and other tractor trailer drivers had been sending alerts over their CB radios, the Truckadyne driver ignored the warnings and crashed into Mr. Reed's motorcycle.

Mr. Reed, who was thrust into the air by the impact, suffered numerous fractures including a pelvis, hip, foot and ribs, as well as internal bleeding. One of his thumbs was torn off and needed to be surgically reattached. Mr. Reed missed more than eight months of work, but his job future is in doubt because his condition may deteriorate over time.

Atty. Munley uncovered company documents indicating that the driver had repeatedly violated the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act in the days leading up to the accident. These violations included numerous instances of driving more than the permitted 10 hours in any 24 hour period.

'You have a recipe for disaster when you allow a truck driver to consistently drive over his allotted hours, declared Atty. Munley. "One has to wonder whether this driver was too tired to be driving on that particular day since he ignored numerous warnings.

"Overtired drivers are a consistent problem that all members of the traveling public face when they venture onto the highways and roadways of our country, declared Atty. Munley.

A Such accidents are entirely foreseeable by the trucking industry, but they turn a blind eye in order to increase profits. It is fortunate that my client was not killed.

Atty. Munley is a nationally recognized expert in truck-related litigation and a member of the Executive Board of the Interstate Trucking Litigation Group of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. His editorial page feature, "More Carnage on the Highways," was distributed by the Scripps-Howard News Service to more than 450 daily newspapers nationwide earlier this summer.

By Frank Scholz, Scranton Times Staff Writer


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