A jury last week awarded a little more than $500,000 to a South Charleston man injured in a motorcycle wreck.
Larry Keeling Jr. was riding his motorcycle on Corridor G in August 2014, when lumber that had spilled across the roadway caused him to crash, according to his lawyer Ben Salango, of Charleston.
Kevin Hanson, who was driving a truck pulling a trailer full of lumber, had just left The Shops at Trace Fork complex when he lost control of his vehicle, Salango said. He said the speed of the truck and weight of the trailer caused Hanson to spin out of control and cross the median into oncoming traffic.
Lumber spilled across the roadway.
Two of Keeling's ribs were fractured. He tore two ligaments in his right knee and was forced to retire from his job at McNeil Fence Company, after undergoing two surgeries, his lawyer said. He filed suit in Kanawha Circuit Court against Hanson and his insurance company, Travelers.
"The defendant's insurance company refused to accept responsibility for this accident," Salango said on Thursday, after the trial.
In fact, according to Salango, Travelers hired a private investigator to follow Keeling's family.
"The investigator hid in the bushes across from my client's home and used high powered binoculars to look inside his windows. They did everything they could possibly do to avoid settling this clear liability case," he said.
It took jurors about four hours to decide Keeling should be awarded $71,947 for medical expenses, $26,804 for lost wages and $75,000 for future lost wages and $375,000 for pain and suffering.
"My client is pleased with the jury's verdict. Although liability was clear, the defendant's insurance company made an insulting low-ball settlement offer and forced us to trial," Salango said. "We're glad the jury carefully listened to the evidence and reached a just verdict."
Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman presided over the trial, which ended Wednesday.
David Mincer and H.F. "Trigg" Salsbery represented Hanson and Travelers. They couldn't be reached last week for comment.
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