Following a two-week trial, a St. Louis, Missouri jury reached a verdict against Indiana-based Wabash National in a case involving a fatal collision that left two people dead when their car collided with the back of a truck using a Wabash-manufactured trailer.
The court ordered that Wabash was on the hook for $450 million in punitive damages and $12 million to the victims’ families. Wabash is the nation’s largest producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems. The company is still considering its options in the wake of the verdict.
The crash happened in 2019 when a car ran into the back of a big rig at a speed of approximately 45 miles per hour. The jury heard testimony indicating the fatalities could have been prevented if the truck had been equipped with a rear impact guard with a newer design.
Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the Wabash trailer in the accident was unsafe and that the company had resisted trailer upgrades to save money.
Some analysts believe the verdict may prompt further calls for requiring impact guards on big trucks to prevent cars from sliding underneath trailers during collisions. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has resisted regulations that would make side and rear impact guards standard equipment on all Class 8 trucks.
In its defense, Wabash argued the trailer in question was manufactured in 2004 and at the time it complied with all existing safety standards. Wabash further argued the jury was prevented from hearing evidence that the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the back of the truck was over the legal limit for blood alcohol. Other withheld evidence indicated that the two people who were killed were not wearing seat belts at the time.
“While this was a tragic accident, we respectfully disagree with the jury’s verdict and firmly believe it is not supported by the facts or the law,” said Wabash’s General Counsel Kristin Glazner in a statement to the press. “No rear impact guard or trailer safety technology has ever existed that would have made a difference here.”
A statement from the company said, “Wabash stands firmly behind the quality and safety of all its products, and this ruling will not prevent the company from continuing to provide its customers with products that contribute to safer roads.”
