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News Articles >> Trucking Company Denies Value of Father,..
Trucking Company Denies Value of Father, Refuses to Pay Compensation
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| April 10, 2008. By Lucy Campbell |  RSS  Del.icio.us  Seed Newsvine  Facebook |
Los Angeles, CA: Early one sunny morning in February Ronald was out for a casual walk in Oakland, where he lived. He was on a public sidewalk. Suddenly, a passing 18-wheeler truck jumped the curb and ran him down, killing him. Now, two years after the event, his three daughters have filed a wrongful death lawsuit regarding the truck accident against the company that owned the truck - Foston Trucking of Oakland, CA, claiming that it was negligence on the company's part, that resulted in the death of their father.
Ronald's daughters filed the lawsuit against Foston Trucking because the Company denied their claim for compensation, stating that Ronald was unemployed at the time he was killed, that he had a previous criminal record, and that none of his daughters were minors. So, feeling that they had no other recourse, Ronald's daughters filed the suit, for an unspecified amount in damages.
Their father was out walking adjacent to the East Bay Municipal Utilities District in Oakland on that fateful morning. After the truck ran over Ronald, it continued on to crash through the wrought iron fence, which surrounded the municipal utility. Initially, the Oakland police officers who arrived at the scene didn't know anyone was under the truck. However, when they looked under the front axle they found Ronald, who had been impaled through the chest by the wrought iron fence.
Had the driver not noticed he had hit and killed a man? The man who was allegedly driving the truck at the time, claimed that his truck had been 'carjacked' just hours before the accident. However, the police noted in their report that the truck driver admitted to drinking alcohol and snorting cocaine just a few hours prior to his climbing behind the wheel of his rig. Blood tests were done which subsequently confirmed that the driver was at least telling the truth about that - he did have alcohol and cocaine in his system at the time of the accident.
The lawyer for the girls stated that Foston Trucking Company, by denying Ronald's daughters' claim for compensation, is essentially saying that they lost nothing of value - that their father had no value. And to make matters worse, the trucking company is standing by the story their driver told the police, despite his confirmed blood and cocaine use.
Without legal help, it is unlikely that Ronald's daughters would receive even an apology. Thanks to the careless actions of the driver of the truck, their lives have been irreversibly changed for the worse. How is the trucking company in a position to decide what the victim of their driver's careless actions is worth? Short answer, they aren't. A person's value should not be decided based on whether he or she is employed or unemployed, or has a criminal record or not, the color of his skin, the number of family members he or she has who are adult at the time of the death or injury. This is a matter for the courts to decide and lawyers to assist in, as they can provide unbiased guidance in seeking compensation.
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