(from our closed cases - all successfully tried or settled):

U.S. Xpress truck driver injured her lower back while pulling a handle on her truck in Mississippi. She was initially diagnosed with a lower back strain, but it was later determined that due to degenerative changes in her lower back that she would require a lumbar fusion.

U.S. Xpress driver injured his lower back while cranking down a landing gear in North Carolina.  He was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in his lower back, which was aggravated by the accident, or he sustained disc protrusions or herniations in his lower back.

U.S. Xpress driver injured his neck and shoulders while unloading a trailer in Florida.  He was initially diagnosed with acute cervical and shoulder strain or sprain.  Subsequently, he was diagnosed as having disc protrusions in his neck as well as cervical radiculitis, and required a multi-level neck fusion.

Jevic Transport driver hurt his lower back when he slipped and fell on ice while making a delivery in Tennessee.  He was determined to have spondylosis in the lumbar spine, with severe degenerative changes and a moderate disc bulge.

Covenant Transport driver jackknifed his tractor-trailer in snow in Nebraska, injuring his back.  Injuries included acute cervical and lumbosacral strain, chronic degenerative joint disease with spondylolisthesis. 

U.S. Xpress driver on a really bumpy road in Mississippi hit a big bump and his air ride seat bottomed-out.  He felt a "pop" in his back. He required conservative medical care for a low back injury. 

Dixie Transport driver hurt his back when a hose blew loose in his truck and knocked him down.  Suffered lower back pain and lumbar strain and the sciatic nerve was pinched. 

U.S. Xpress driver injured her neck when she was assaulted by her co-driver.  She was diagnosed with cervical radiculitis.  MRI revealed “desiccation” and broad based posterior bulge in the cervical spine.  The same driver returned to work and later slipped and fell in a truck stop, and she had to undergo an anterior cervical corpectomy, anterior discectomy and fusion using anterior cervical plate. 

Heartland Express driver injured his back in Georgia when he fell trying to get into his truck.  Suffered a posterior tear and disk protrusion in the lumbar spine and faced a choice of surgery or pain management.

U.S. Xpress driver slipped and fell on ice and snow at a truck stop in North Dakota, injuring her neck and back, with pain radiating down both legs, and limited mobility in the neck.  Extensive pain management required, including epidural steroid injections.

Covenant Transport driver injured his neck and back injury while climbing out of his tractor in Indiana, sustaining soft tissue injuries and ligament strain. 

U.S. Xpress driver sustained multiple soft tissue injuries while driving in Mississippi when a tree fell on his tractor-trailer, injuring his neck, back and left knee. 

U.S. Xpress driver suffered injuries to his neck and spine when his tractor-trailer was struck by another tractor trailer while he was sleeping in the cab at a truck stop in South Carolina.  Driver was able to return to work after treatment, but subsequently injured his lower back while working for Western Express.  He was diagnosed with acute lumbar and cervical strains due to these injuries.

Truck driver sustained injuries to lower back when she slipped on ice on the ground in Pennsylvania while attempting to get out of her tractor-trailer. She was diagnosed with acute lumbar strain, and it was later determined that she sustained an aggravation of pre-existing degenerative condition in her low back. 

U.S. Xpress driver, who had just finished orientation and started driving over-the-road, was struck by another motorist in the rear in Ohio, resulting in neck and mid-back injuries.  She was diagnosed with myofascial pain and possible fibromyalgia. 

U.S. Xpress driver, while closing the doors on her trailer in Kentucky, injured her left knee and low back.  She was ultimately diagnosed as a having a lumbar disc protrusion and left knee fracture.

Covenant driver who injured his back and neck while raising a loaded trailer to put his truck under it. He then sustained a second injury when he lost his footing step out of trailer at Covenant terminal and fell to the ground.

Driver for Bobby Fryar Trucking who sustained back injury when he felt a “pop” while driving his truck. Required left L5-S1 laminotomy and discectomy and subsequent one level low back fusion.

Driver for Bobby Fryar Trucking who sustained neck, shoulder and back injuries in a rollover accident in Tennessee. Required neck (C6-7) fusion as well as arthroscopy left shoulder, debridement and bursal side rotator cuff, arthroscopic subacromial decompression.

 

Shoulder Injuries

U.S. Xpress driver injured shoulder unloading freight from back of trailer.  Injury required arthroscopic SLAP repair.

U.S. Xpress driver hurt his knees and shoulder in a fall on a loading dock in Washington suffering a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, with lateral meniscus tear, medial meniscus tear and MCL strain in knee. 

Wabash Transportation driver re-injured right shoulder when falling off trailer bed while he was tarping a load.  He sustained a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, and hurt his right hand, requiring a right trigger finger release. 

U.S. Xpress driver injured his left shoulder in Pennsylvania when a box fell on him as he opened up the trailer.  Acromioplasty to shoulder required. 

U.S. Xpress driver trainer injured both of his shoulders while pulling on truck tandems in Tennessee.  After three surgeries he made a good recovery. 

Quick Logistics driver tore his rotator cuff when the load shifted in his trailer and his truck flipped in Alabama.  He was initially diagnosed with a strained shoulder.  Subsequently, it was determined that he suffered from a torn rotator cuff and arthroscopic surgery was performed, followed by additional surgery to repair the rotator cuff. 

U.S. Xpress truck driver hurt his left shoulder while unloading when he tried to stop a pallet jack from rolling down an incline.  This was after he had injured the other shoulder in another accident.   
U.S. Xpress driver who injured his right shoulder while unloading his trailer in Virginia. Required shoulder surgery.

Conway Truckload driver involved in wreck in Alabama. Sustained injury to his wrist and forearm when glass from the wreck was lodged in it and neck, back and shoulder injuries including a herniated (ruptured) disc at C6-7 and shoulder impingement. Required surgery.

Covenant driver injured knee in altercation with co-worker. Required ACL reconstruction.

Covenant driver sustained a torn rotator cuff while operating the landing gear on his trailer. Required right shoulder arthroscopy and distal clavicle resection.

Covenant driver injured in wreck in Kentucky when another driver made an illegal U-turn in front of her truck causing accident. Client was asleep in the sleeper when wreck took place. Injuries necessitated open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of left humerus fracture and, later, manipulation under anesthesia (MUA). Her team driver also sustained a separated shoulder but surgery was not required.

Covenant driver who sustained neck and shoulder injuries in an MVA in North Carolina. Diagnosed with acute cervical strain, cervical degenerative disc disease with symptoms aggravated by accident.

Covenant driver who sustained neck injuries and an acute ACL tear, medial and lateral meniscal tears, partial LCL tear and PCL tear in his right knee when co-driver pushed him out of truck during altercation. Required right knee arthroscopy, partial medial meniscectomy, and ACL reconstruction surgeries.

  

Covenant Transport driver was unloading his trailer in Georgia when an employee from another company jerked the tow motor causing some pallets to fall on him and break his arm. 

J & M Tank Lines, Inc. driver injured his right wrist in a fall at a delivery site in Georgia.  He was diagnosed with right wrist TFCC injury and right shoulder pain, possible early rotator cuff tendonitis.  A MRI of the wrist showed a “torn triangular fibrocartilage complex from its radial attachment and findings consistent with degenerative changes, and a strain or partial tear of the scapholunate ligament.

Covenant driver who broke her wrist when she slipped and fell fueling her truck in Missouri. Required two wrist surgeries.

Driver for Purdy Brothers who sustained a shoulder injury when the wind slammed the door of his trailer shut on him. Diagnosed with impingement syndrome and right shoulder labral tear. Required right shoulder arthroscopy with subacromial decompression and labral debridement.

Heart Attack

Averitt Express driver from Texas, with a history of high blood pressure, found dead next to his tractor-trailer in Tennessee.  He was determined to have died from atherosclerotic heart disease.  Cardiologist expert was prepared to testify that he suffered a heart attack as a result of his work activities.

Mayflower Transit driver found dead of a heart attack, in Wisconsin, in the sleeper compartment of his truck.  It was February and it was cold.  He had been feeling tired that day and was reported to look pale.  He was believed to have been outside in the cold trying to get his brakes unlocked when he had the attack, went back in the truck and died.  He suffered from arteriosclerosis, and the right coronary artery was found to be 90 to 95% occluded.  Cardiologist was prepared to testify that that his work activities contributed to the heart attack.

FirstFleet driver died in the sleeper compartment in Louisiana while his co-driver was behind the wheel.  He had been unloading cargo at various locations in Texas all day and gotten progressively sicker as the day went on.  His death was due to thrombotic occlusion of the left anterior descending artery.  Cardiologist determined that his work activities that day contributed to his heart attack.  

Carpet Transport driver was delivering carpet in Texas, where he collapsed shortly after unloading a 149 pound roll of carpet from the trailer.  An ambulance was called but CPR was unsuccessful.  He had coronary atherosclerotic heart disease and died of sudden cardiac death syndrome with cardiac asystole.  Cardiologist testified that moderately severe physical exercise can precipitate myocardial ischemia which increases the chances of sudden cardiac death – heart attack.

Other

U. S. Xpress driver had a hernia.  Right testicle remained swollen and painful even after surgery. 
Death benefits obtained for children of Covenant driver killed in wreck in Nebraska.

Covenant driver sustained neck and closed head injury in wreck in Oklahoma, requiring mental health treatment.

U.S. Xpress driver who sustained severe hip and wrist injuries when he fell while making a delivery in Texas. Diagnosed with comminuted fracture right distal radius and ulna. Required open reduction and internal fixation of intra-articular distal radius fracture and total right hip replacement.