McGinn Montoya Love Curry & Sievers fought for a man who was catastrophically injured and permanently brain damaged in a trucking crash in New Mexico. Our client had dedicated much of his life to serving others as an interpreter for the United States government in its fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan. After the U.S. withdrew troops from Afghanistan, our client, no longer safe in his home country, moved to the United States and began working as a long-haul truck driver. As anyone who drives on the highway has seen, there are more 18-wheelers on the road than ever and crashes with large trucks are most often devastating. The federal government created the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to prevent fatalities and injuries from crashes involving trucks on roadways. All trucking companies, regardless of their size, are required to follow these safety rules. When a company agrees to transport freight for money, it takes responsibility for safely transporting the freight, regardless of how many companies it subcontracts with to get the load to its destination. Our client was the victim of a company that failed to live up to that responsibility. That very large company had agreed to transport goods on U.S. highways, but passed the loads on to a fly-by-night trucking company that had little oversight over its truck drivers. A fatigued, poorly trained, and irresponsible truck driver fell asleep at the wheel, crossed over the median into oncoming traffic, and crashed nearly head-on into the semi-truck that our client and his co-driver were driving. Our client will never be able to drive a truck, manage his affairs, or live independently again. We fought hard for our client and held the big company accountable for shirking its responsibilities to our client and those who drive on New Mexico highways. Our client will never be the same, but he is now well cared for and has the means to someday be reunited with his family and live the best life he can live under these tragic circumstances.
