7th Court Upholds $5.5M Jury Verdict in Favor of Trucker Employed by Nonsubscriber

A Texas trucking company learned the potential cost of electing not to subscribe to the state's workers' compensation system last week, when a state appellate court upheld a $5.5 million jury verdict in favor of a trucker who suffered severe head injuries in a fall at the company's yard in Lubbock. The 7th Court of Appeals in Amarillo rejected the employer's argument that it had no duty to warn, train or supervise Charles Robison because he was an experienced flat bed truck driver with more than 30 years of experience. The court found that the jury's award was supported bo...