On June 10, 2024, Rodriguez & Associates completed a 2-week long trial in eastern Iowa, securing over $35 million for a young woman – a record personal injury verdict in the state.
An 18-wheeler driving in heavy fog turned in front of an 18-year-old girl causing the girl’s car to crash under the side of the trailer. The crash caused a severe traumatic brain injury. The driver, who was speeding, should never have been on the road because it was too foggy. He proceeded to make one of the most dangerous maneuvers a trucker can make, an unprotected left-hand turn where the speed of the cross-traffic was 65 mph. The trucking company had no fog delay policy in place.
A month before the trial, insurance companies for the trucking company offered a $3 million settlement which was raised to $5 million one week into the trial. Their final offer was for $8 million just before closing arguments. Rodriguez & Associates turned down each offer because the team trusted the jury to do the right thing and to come back with a much higher verdict – and they did!!!
The jury’s unanimous verdict was $35,793,475, one of the largest personal injury verdicts, if not the largest, in Iowa history.
The young woman’s father wanted lawyers with both expertise and experience in handling truck crashes as well as knowing the medicine of traumatic brain injuries. Rodriguez & Associates Senior Partner Joel Andreesen grew up in Anamosa, Iowa, and was a childhood friend of the plaintiff’s father. They were also roommates at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Rodriguez & Associates had a fabulous team helping this young lady and her family – Daniel Rodriguez, Joel Andreesen, Chantal Trujillo, Jessica Alcala, and David Sherrill, as well as local Iowa Counsel, Matt Novak.
“Our client is an exceptionally brave and resilient young woman who deserves every opportunity in life. Rodriguez & Associates is incredibly proud to stand with her in this fight for justice and help her regain some of the life and opportunities that were lost due to the careless actions of others.”
-Joel Andreesen, Senior Partner at Rodriguez & Associates
The Rodriguez & Associates team couldn’t ask for a better family to represent.
Congratulations to our client and her family and great work team!