A man who was hurt when he crashed his motorcycle into a garbage truck has been given a large sum of money in a $42 million civil trial in Muscogee County, the man’s lawyer said Wednesday.
After the accident on December 7, 2021, Jonathon Wright sued GFL Environmental Holdings (US) INC., GFL Environmental Services USA, INC., and the truck driver Roberto Aron.
The claim said that Aron, who was driving a GFL waste management truck, hit the commercial garbage truck as he came out of CVS and onto Miller Road. He did this “suddenly, negligently, and Without warning,” blocking both eastbound lanes.
Wright was always following the rules of the road, and the case said that the defendants were responsible for his permanent injuries.
Chris Breault, Wright’s lawyer, said that his client was “catastrophically injured.” Breault says Wright lost part of his left leg, can’t move his left arm at all, and’s blind in his left eye.
In December 2022, lawyers for GFL Environmental Holdings and GFL Environmental Services replied to the lawsuit and said they were not responsible for Wright’s injuries or damages. After the jury’s decision, lawyers for GFL didn’t reply right away to a request for comment.
In the answers to the lawsuit that were put into court records, it was also written that Roberto Aron “breached no duties owed to him regarding the event giving rise to the Complaint.”
A jury verdict form shows that the suspects were found to be 75% at fault and Wright was found to be 25% at fault. Breault said that this means Wright will get 75% of the $42 million sum.
Breault said that the winner could help Wright get better prostheses. Breault says that Wright has one leg that is longer than the other with his present prosthetics.
“The jury showed that they care about how they run their business and about safety,” Breault said. “I think they learned that if you hurt someone in this community, you will be held responsible, even if it takes three years.”
