A trucking company has failed to carry out checks on the driver who caused a multi-vehicle accident. Now it must pay millions to the victims

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a four-week trial, a Nassau County jury reached a unanimous $141.5 million verdict Wednesday evening in the case of a logging truck accident that occurred in March 2020, according to attorney Curry Pajcic.

Three people were seriously injured in the crash, including a 5-year-old girl who suffered permanent brain damage, Pajcic said. The truck driver had a long history of crimes and traffic violations, and Pajcic said the company that hired him failed to conduct a background check.

“This is the most reckless disregard for security we have ever seen,” Pajcic said at a news conference on Thursday.

On March 3, 2020, a man identified as Ellis Eugene Trollinger was driving an 80,000-pound logging truck on State Road 200 in Nassau County. At the time, Trollinger was working for K&N Logging, a Columbia County-based trucking company.

According to Pajcic, Trollinger had been driving since 4 a.m. and was going 67 mph in a 70 mph zone when he approached a busy area with construction workers, school buses and stopped traffic as parents picked up their children from school.

Trollinger didn’t notice the stopped traffic in time and crashed into the back of the line of cars, Pajcic said.

“Trollinger broke the rules and the safety rules,” Pajcic said. “A truck driver should always look where he is going and see what is there to control the speed of his truck.”

Press play below to watch the full press conference

The victims’ families have filed a lawsuit against Trollinger and K&N Logging for violating dozens of regulations Federal Safety Regulations for Motor Carriers.

According to Pajcic, it is unclear why Trollinger did not see the stopped traffic.

Pajcic said he is unsure whether Trollinger was under the influence of a substance because the company failed and refused to submit to a drug test after the crash. It’s also unclear if he was fatigued from exceeding the time limit, as the company never let him fill out logbooks. It’s also unclear whether Trollinger was looking at his cell phone at the time of the crash because his data had been destroyed, he said.

According to Pajcic, the company hired Trollinger “blindly” and put him on the road, without an application, without a background check, without a driving history check and without a criminal record being created. Furthermore, the company did not contact Trollinger’s previous employers and never conducted a pre-employment test.

“No training, no supervision, no logbooks, no hours of service, enforcement and no training on how to tie down logs and then he pays him cash under the table and pays him per load and tells him to just drive,” Pajcic said. .

During the trial, the jury heard about Trollinger’s “embellished” criminal history, including wounding a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, running a red light and speeding in a commercial vehicle, a drunk driving accident and more, according to reports Pajcic.

Trollinger had also been pulled over for running a stop sign and arrested on charges of misdemeanor possession of methamphetamine.

“The morning of this accident, when K&N Logging, the logging truck industry, put him back on the road, he was taken out of service because he was driving a logging truck with belts that were cut in half,” Pajcic said. “He called the company and they said, ‘Get another load.’ Keep driving.’”

Pajcic also said Trollinger had been fired by two of his four previous employers for causing accidents and speeding.

After learning of Trollinger’s criminal history and hearing from trucking experts, the jury reached a verdict awarding the victims $16.5 million in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages.

Pajcic said he hopes this ruling will send a message to the logging truck industry.

“The logging truck industry thinks the rules don’t apply to them,” Pajcic said. “This jury had the opportunity to shine a bright light on the danger and corruption of the logging truck industry.”

Mike Miller, one of the victims injured in the crash, spoke at a news conference in Jacksonville on Thursday.

“I am grateful to the jury for sending a loud, clear message to the logging truck industry that we are getting back on the streets. Follow the rules or you will be held accountable,” Miller said.