$3,500,000 Verdict – Slip & Fall Semi-Truck Workplace Injury

The Plaintiff, a 51-year-old truck driver for Overnite Express, slipped and fell while exiting his semi-tractor cab at Continental Plastics in Elk Grove Village. The Plaintiff had leased a truck from the defendant, which developed brake problems and was being repaired. During that time, the defendant provided the driver with a replacement truck cab that was missing the driver’s-side safety grab bar. The Plaintiff asked the defendant to repair or replace the grab bar, but was told to take it or leave it, so he took the truck; the fall occurred the following morning. The Plaintiff struck his head in the fall, suffering a closed head injury with post-traumatic seizure disorder and post-concussion syndrome (seizures began two days after the occurrence). He also sustained a herniated C4-5 disc with C5-6 nerve root compression, requiring laminectomy, and myofascial pain in the neck and shoulders. As a result, he cannot return to work as a commercial truck driver.