Savage, Turner, Durham, Pinckney & Savage attorneys Zachary R. Sprouse and Brent J. Savage, Jr. recently secured a $3,000,000 verdict in a jury trial for client Tony Jewell.
 
The jury apportioned 90% of fault to Defendant Bennett Truck Transport, LLC, a motor carrier, and 10% to Mr. Jewell.
 
The Savannah-based team secured the $3 million verdict in the State Court of Henry County on October 24th, 2019, after a four-day trial. On behalf of Mr. Jewell, Sprouse and Savage tried the case with attorney Andrew Gebhardt, a partner at Smith, Welch, Webb & White.
 
“This is a significant victory for our client,” said Sprouse, who served as lead trial counsel for Mr. Jewell. “We all stand to benefit when motor carriers do the right thing and help truck drivers handle the job safely,” Sprouse added.  
 
This negligence case against Bennett concerned the serious injuries Mr. Jewell sustained on October 11, 2015. While attempting to retrieve a spare tire situated in the back of the 2000 International “toter truck” he drove for Bennett, Mr. Jewell fell several feet from the back of the truck and sustained serious injuries (including a fractured thoracic spine, requiring surgery) and more than $150,000 in related medical bills. After working his entire adult life until the injury, it is unlikely that Mr. Jewell will ever return to work as a truck-driver.
 
Using expert testimony and the company’s own policies as evidence of what amounts to reasonable care in this particular setting, Mr. Jewell’s attorneys argued that the Defendant fell below the degree of care the circumstances demanded. Specifically, the motor carrier’s shortcomings included failing to provide reasonably safe and adequate equipment for the job and ignoring his requests for assistance.
 
After approximately two hours of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict in favor of the Plaintiff.
 
On October 29th, 2019, Henry County State Court Judge Ernest D. Blount entered the Judgment against Defendant Bennett. According to the Court’s Judgment, damages are awarded to Tony Jewell in the amount of $2,700,000.00, reflecting jury’s apportionment of fault. The Defendant is also ordered to pay in excess of $109,863 in pre-judgment interest and court costs.

Savage, Turner, Durham, Pinckney and Savage partner Brent J. Savage, Jr. shared similar sentiments. “We think the jury got it right,” he said. “We appreciate the jurors’ careful attention to detail, and we are grateful for the court's thoughtful consideration throughout the case.”

This is the second multi-million dollar jury verdict this year for the pair of Savannah-based trial attorneys. Just eight weeks earlier, Sprouse and Savage won a $4.25 million verdict in McIntosh County on behalf of an injured worker who sustained a catastrophic injury during a tree felling job.
 
About Savage, Turner, Durham, Pinckney & Savage
Savage, Turner, Durham, Pinckney & Savage (www.savageandturner.com ) is a Savannah-based law firm concentrating in complex civil litigation. The firm handles cases involving serious injuries, catastrophic events at the port and other industrial sites, business disputes, professional malpractice, and other high-stakes cases. Each year since its founding in 1993, the firm’s attorneys have recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, regularly recording some of the largest verdicts in Georgia.
 
The verdict is the latest trial result for Savage & Turner, a firm known throughout the Southeast for consistently recording some of the largest verdicts and settlements on behalf of its clients. In 2019, the firm has secured a seven-figure settlement for an individual involved a catastrophic truck wreck, a $550,000 settlement for an injured industrial worker, a $750,000 settlement on behalf of an injured longshoreman, and a $575,000 mid-trial settlement concerning negligent highway design. Other recent multi-million-dollar verdicts in the last few years include a $10 million jury verdict in favor of a rape victim in a negligent security case, a $60 million jury verdict involving medical negligence, and a $4.48 million jury verdict in a wrongful death case.