$2.6 Million U-Haul Car Accident Settlement for 2002 Tennessee Personal Injuries
A federal jury ordered two U-Haul companies to pay $2.6 million in damages for personal injuries that occurred nearly five years ago when a trailer pulling an Ohio couple’s SUV swerved and flipped over in Tennessee.
According to their personal injury lawsuit as detailed in a story in Cincinnati’s The Enquirer, Christian and Mindy Strong rented a U-Haul trailer in 2002 to pull a motorcycle from Ohio to Florida. A friend, Brian Hunzicker, also attended the couple. While driving back through Tennessee, the Strongs’ Ford Explorer swerved and rolled, leaving Christian with two broken wrists, Hunzicker with minor injuries, and Mindy with serious injuries. Mindy suffered a broken back, lacerated liver and brain trauma resulting in cognitive and memory problems.
The couple claimed that U-Haul failed to properly instruct them how to use the trailer and to stay within a 45-mph speed limit. They also alleged that the U-Haul trailer was defective, a claim which was thrown out by the eight-person jury. However, the jury agreed that U-Haul failed to properly warn of the dangers of pulling the trailer. The subsequent U-Haul car accident settlement awarded $1.98 million to Mindy Strong, $111,399 to Christian Strong and $40,916 to Hunzicker. U-Haul International and U-Haul Co. of Massachusetts and Ohio Inc., were also ordered to pay $220,800 each in punitive damages.
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