GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA — A Florida jury handed down a roughly $2 million verdict in a 2023 tractor-trailer U-turn crash case but split fault equally between the truck driver and the injured motorist, effectively reducing the award to approximately $1 million.
The nine-day trial in the 8th Circuit Florida State Court centered on a June 2023 crash on US Highway 301 in Alachua County. Gregory Streater, a tractor-trailer driver for C&S Wholesale Services, missed his exit and attempted a U-turn on the highway, partially blocking the roadway. Charles Thomas then crashed into the truck, suffering multiple broken bones throughout his body and a traumatic brain injury. The case is Thomas v. C&S Wholesale Services, et al., 2024-CA-004343.
The Arguments
Thomas’s attorney, Morgan & Morgan’s Clancy Boylan, argued that Streater was negligent in making the U-turn and that the maneuver violated multiple traffic laws. Boylan told jurors that safer options were available to correct the missed exit and that C&S Wholesale Services did not have a policy prohibiting U-turns at the time of the crash. “Had that policy been in place, we wouldn’t be here,” Boylan said. He added: “That’s what negligence is, folks — doing something that is unreasonable.”
The defense, represented by Hamilton Miller & Birthisel’s Jerry Hamilton, argued that Thomas had ample time to avoid the crash. Evidence presented showed Thomas should have seen the tractor-trailer’s illuminated brake lights at least eight seconds before impact. Instead, Thomas did not take his foot off the gas pedal until one second before the collision and did not hit the brakes until half a second before impact. “If you have time to see it, you have time to avoid it. End of story,” Hamilton said. He also told jurors that had Thomas braked at 3.9 seconds or more before impact, the crash would not have occurred.
The Verdict and an Unusual Twist
The jury’s verdict came after an unusual procedural development. Jurors initially awarded more than $1.3 million in medical expenses but declined to award any non-economic damages. After attorneys argued the verdict was inconsistent, 8th Circuit Court Judge Gloria Walker sent the jury back to deliberate on non-economic damages. Jurors returned with a $700,000 award on that issue.
The total verdict came to $2,060,435, broken down as $1,360,435 for medical expenses and $700,000 for pain and suffering. However, the jury assigned 50% of the fault to each driver. Under Florida’s comparative fault rules, that apportionment reduces the post-verdict award to approximately $1 million. The exact final amount has not been confirmed.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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