Morgan & Morgan Wins $3.7 Million Verdict for Truck Driver Injured in Highlands County Crash

[Sebring, FL] – On Thursday, October 30, 2025, a Highlands County jury awarded a $3,793,924.13 verdict to a 65-year-old Florida man injured in a 2021 truck crash. According to WestLaw records, this is the largest motor vehicle verdict in Highlands County history.

Represented by Morgan & Morgan attorneys Will Bates, Derrick Connell and Dylan Hooper, the plaintiff declined the defense’s highest pre-trial settlement offer of $465,000 before ultimately being awarded the multi-million dollar verdict.

On June 23, 2021, the plaintiff was driving his semi truck westbound on State Road 70 near its intersection with Southwest County Road 721 in Highlands County, FL when another truck driver traveling east for Transportation Services Unlimited, Inc. fell asleep at the wheel and drifted into the plaintiff’s path, hitting the side of the plaintiff’s truck before slamming into his trailer. The plaintiff’s trailer jackknifed, causing it to break its axles. The plaintiff suffered neck and back injuries as well as severe nerve damage in his arm. His injuries required multiple surgeries, including a left cubital tunnel release surgery in his elbow and a two-level anterior discectomy and cervical fusion in his neck. The Morgan & Morgan trial team obtained the seven-figure verdict despite attorneys for Transportation Services Unlimited imploring the jury to award just $17,000.

“Our client lost everything that was dear to him in this completely avoidable crash,” said Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Will Bates. “He lost his ability to work as a truck driver or in any capacity. He lost his ability to fish from the pier. He lost his ability to take care of his family financially or physically, and he lost his ability to play with his grandkids. We’re proud the jury saw the truth: that an honest, hardworking man had his life brutally disrupted and his future drastically diminished through no fault of his own.”

The case was heard by Judge Heather Beato in the Circuit Court of the Tenth Judicial Circuit in and for Highlands County, Florida, Case No. 22-000196-GCAXMX. The defense was represented by attorneys Michael Merrill and Yolanda Martinez of Andrews Biernacki Davis.