$6.6 Million Record-Setting Verdict in Nebraska Crash

In the largest verdict of its kind in a civil case by a Federal District Court jury in Omaha, Nebraska, a jury returned a verdict for $6.6 million in favor of the plaintiffs, who were represented by Corboy & Demetrio partners, Michael Demetrio and Robert Bingle. In June of 1999, at 2:30 in the morning, the Heatherly family was proceeding westbound on Interstate 80 in the middle of Nebraska on their way to a family vacation at Yellowstone National Park, when the mobile home in which they were traveling was rear-ended by a stolen semi-tractor trailer truck driven by Steven Alexander. The Alexander truck pushed the mobile home off to the side of the road where it violently collided with an illegally parked semi- tractor trailer owned and operated by Midwest Specialized Transportation, Inc. As a result of the crash, Margaret Heatherly, 42, was killed, and Mr. Heatherly sustained serious personal injuries. Their four children, in the rear of the mobile home, were uninjured.