Today's post was shared by Trucker Lawyers and comes from www.truckinginfo.com
A jury decided a civil case on Friday that pitted the nation’s passenger rail service against one trucking company, with the fleet having to pay more than $4.5 million in damages, according to Courthouse News Service.
Nevada-based John Davis Trucking was found to be at fault for the June 2011 crash about 70 miles east of Reno when one of its drivers slammed into an Amtrak train along U.S. 95 in a fiery crash. It led to the deaths of six people, including the trucker.
The owner of the train tracks, Union Pacific, was awarded more than $200,000
The trial began about a month ago in federal court in Reno, in which Amtrak was seeking $11 million against John Davis Trucking, which filed a counterclaim, saying the system that would have warned the trucker about the oncoming train was not working properly.
Much of the testimony revolved around the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board following the crash and the release of its report more than a year later. It found an inattentive truck driver and poorly maintained brakes, including antilock brakes that had been rendered inoperable, were likely responsible for the crash. NTSB also made numerous safety recommendations early this year, which drew some reaction from trucking industry groups.
Read more about this decision from Courthouse News Service.
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