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Briskman & Binion’s Successful Jury Verdict of $18.79 Million

For two weeks in Mobile County Circuit Court, Briskman & Binion lawyer Charlie Potts, serving as co-counsel with lawyers from the Beasley Allen firm from Montgomery, Alabama, led by Principal & Lead Products Liability Attorney, Greg Allen, tried a serious personal injury case to a jury.  The Firm’s client, Mr. Colin Lacy, was in his  late 20s at the time of the accident, and will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, after being paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the roll-over tanker truck  accident.  Mr. Lacy was ejected from the cab of the truck he was driving for his employer, when the accident happened in the Florida Panhandle near Niceville, Florida on July 14, 2011. The accident was the result of negligent repairs by defendant, Empire Truck Sales, LLC, that caused the truck to become unstable and lose control.  Suit was filed in Mobile County, Alabama against Empire, along with the manufacturer of the cab, and the seatbelt manufacturer.  The Complaint alleged that Mr. Lacy complained to the company that the truck had a vibration in the suspension, and as it turned out, Empire had recently serviced the vehicle and the brake system.  Mr. Lacy’s spine was severed at the T-10 level in the accident, and he spent more than two months in the hospital and in intense rehab following the accident.  On March 20, 2015, despite an aggressive and vigorous defense put on by Empire, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Lacy for $18.79 Million, which included compensation for medical expenses and past and future lost wages, and $5 million in punitive damages.

Charlie Potts remarked, “This result was a team effort led by Greg Allen of Beasley Allen. Fortunately for Colin, he will now be properly taken care of and the company responsible has been held accountable.  We are gratified that the jury was able to look beyond the defense effort to blame others, including Colin, for his tragic accident.  It was particularly fitting, based on the evidence, that the jury found Colin was not at fault for the accident or his injury.

Briskman & Binion, P.C.
205 Church Street
Mobile, AL 36602-2601

Office: 251.433.7600
Fax: 251.433.4485

Mailing Address:
Post Office Box 43
Mobile, Alabama 36601