Virginia Lawyers Weekly Reported John Cooper Obtained the Largest Virginia Motor Vehicle Injury Settlement in 2010

By: Jim Hurley, Virginia Accident Attorney

Each year, the newspaper for Virginia attorneys publishes a list of the biggest cases from the past year. In their coverage of the largest injury lawsuit settlements in 2010, John Cooper was recognized for successfully handling a case that resulted in a $3.5 million settlement, the highest amount received in any reported settlement of a car of truck accident lawsuit.

The suit was settled under a confidentiality agreement, which does not allow the release of the defendant’s name, insurance company, or lawyers.

This case, however, was a very sad one, involving a young father who was killed when a dump truck driver failed to pay sufficient attention to what he was doing on Interstate 264 in Norfolk around midnight one evening.

On the night of the incident, the young man was riding as a passenger in a friend’s car when one of the car’s tires started experiencing problems and began to deflate. After getting onto the highway to return home, the driver was forced to reduce his speed to around 25 mph because of the tire problem. This is when the tragedy unfolded.

The dump truck driver was not paying attention to the troubled vehicle he was approaching, and rear-ended the car; a crash that ensued into a fireball, resulting in a dangerous and frightening accident scene as well as the death of hardworking, supportive young father.

Each day, more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver

Instead of taking responsibility for the accident, the trucking company tried to point the finger at the driver of the car, claiming he caused the accident because of his reduced speed and possible lack of hazard lights, which made the case a little complicated and more difficult to determine causation.

John Cooper, however, worked diligently to prove the dump truck driver was at fault and secure the largest injury settlement received for a motor vehicle accident, which went to the young man’s daughter who was still a minor at the time.

During his investigation, John discovered that the dump truck driver had a history of diabetes and had not been following his doctor’s orders on properly treating his condition. After obtaining the medical records of the at-fault driver, John hired an independent doctor to review the chart who determined the untreated diabetes was a partial cause dump truck operator’s inattention.

This fact would have gotten the jury quite angry had the case gone to trial, seeing that this tragedy could have been prevented if the at-fault driver had been properly taking his diabetes medicine. This reckless conduct could not be blamed on anyone except the dump truck driver himself.

The case was settled after an all-day mediation before a retired judge. The young girl who was left fatherless will have a lifetime of financial security as a result of the lawsuit; yet, this will never compare to having a loving father to be there for the rest of her life.

The loss of life in wrongful death cases is emotionally difficult for families, as their loved one has been taken away suddenly and senselessly.

This case was certainly no exception and the young man’s parents, with whom he was very close with, were left feeling quite angry that their son had been taken from them because someone else made bad choices on the road.

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The Norfolk based personal injury law firm, Cooper Hurley, handles car, truck, and motorcycle injuries. John Cooper and Jim Hurley have over 40 years of combined experience in handling auto injury accident claims. Attorney John Cooper has been named to Virginia “Super Lawyers” since 2010. Cooper Hurley represents people hurt in accidents in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News and throughout VA, and always put the best interests of our clients first. The firm is recognized by other lawyers as “AV” by Martindale-Hubbell, a national attorney rating service, for our top level of legal skill and highest ethical standards. If you need help or advice about a serious injury, please call us (757) 455 -0077. For a free consultation with a specialized Hampton Roads, Virginia personal injury lawyer contact us through this website.