Driver Knocked Off Route 80 By Tractor Trailer Settles Suit For $2 Million

A lumber salesman whose car was knocked off Route 80 in Morris County by a tractor-trailer owned by a Long Island company has reportedly received a $2 million settlement for his injuries.

The rig allegedly drifted from the center lane and bumped the victim's car, sending it careening off Route 80 in Mount Olive.
Photo Credit: *Caleb Ruiter on Unsplash*

Jerry DeMarco

02/10/2022 1:38 p.m.

Kevin Smith, 49, of Newton was headed east in the slow lane when the rig drifted from the center lane and bumped his car, sending it careening off the highway in Mount Olive on June 25, 2019, police said at the time.

Smith, formerly of Hackettstown, underwent surgery for "multiple fractures and herniations of the lumbar spine," the New Jersey Law Journal reported.

He later spent a week in a rehab center and returned to work in September of that year, the report says.

Smith's attorneys contended he nonetheless continues to suffer from back pain that has forced him to abandon skiing and other recreational activities, limited him around the house and required physical therapy and pain management treatment, it says.

They sued the Brentwood, NY driver and the Hauppauge, NY hauling company, which argued that Smith had recovered well from his injuries, the law journal reported.

Mediation produced the settlement, the report says.

SEE: Driver Run Off I-80 By Truck Recovers $2 Million In Morris County Suit

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