Car Accident Victim Awarded $1.4 Million Settlement

Medford, ORIt was anything but a Merry Christmas in 2010 for William Geary, as he lay in the hospital recovering from a horrific car crash that left him trapped in his vehicle for 90 minutes, severely injured, with the remains of a heavy transport-truck trailer on top of his flattened pickup truck.

Last week, on the one-year anniversary of the car accident, Geary and his wife celebrated the culmination of a settlement with the trucking company that hit his vehicle and caused the auto accident in the first place.

Geary told The Associated Press (AP), in comments published December 23, that he's content with the apology he received from the driver of the transport truck and the $1.4 million he received in the car injury settlement.

It wasn't the $4.5 million originally sought. However, the plaintiff indicated in a demonstration of Christmas compassion that he didn't need a lot of money, his bills are paid and the settlement was sufficient.

A remarkable position to take, given that Geary, the accident victim, did nothing wrong. The defendant, on the other hand, was cited with a driving infraction.

According to the report, Geary was waiting at a red light when a trailer detached from a truck operated by Express Transport Corp. The trailer slammed into his Silverado, flattening the vehicle "like a pancake" and trapping the 6' 4" man in the vehicle, battling severe injuries for 90 minutes, before rescuers managed to lift the trailer from his vehicle and cut the lone occupant free.

Geary, who suffered a broken neck and spinal fluid leakage amongst other injuries, is adamant he should never have survived in the first place.

Geary's car accident claims began when the dynamics of the accident emerged. A transport truck owned by Express Transport and driven on that day by Philip McCulloch experienced the detached trailer as the result of what was alleged to have been an unsafe turn on the part of the truck driver.

McCulloch was cited by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department for making an improper turn. The defendant was also cited for careless driving by the Sheriff's Department and was fined $795. It was reported McCulloch was fired from his job shortly after the accident took place.

Geary's car accident lawyers went on to allege in the lawsuit that brakes on the rear trailer were out of alignment at the time of the accident, and that brake slack adjusters on the tractor-trailer were mis-matched. The auto accident personal injury settlement included $300,000 for medical bills, $400,000 representing estimated future medical expenses, and $700,000 compensation for loss of work and quality of life. The settlement was the result of mediation.

This most recent Christmas was a much happier one for the 60-year-old Medford man and his family. Such car accident news is always tragic, but even more unwelcome when it comes at Christmastime. In stark contrast to a year ago, when Geary was fighting for his life in hospital, the Christmas of 2011 was a celebration and, indeed, merry…