Released on: October 23, 2008, 2:24 pm

Press Release Author: Robert Tharp, Androvett Legal Media

Industry: Transportation & Logistics

Press Release Summary: DALLAS - Attorneys from The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson
in Dallas have reached a $15 million settlement with an Arizona trucking company
following an 18-wheeler crash near Colorado City, Texas, that killed three family
members and severely injured a fourth.



Press Release Body: Truck crash attorney Frank L. Branson: Tractor-trailer a road
hazard; driver falsified logs

DALLAS - Attorneys from The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson in Dallas have reached a
$15 million settlement with an Arizona trucking company following an 18-wheeler
crash near Colorado City, Texas, that killed three family members and severely
injured a fourth.

The settlement was reached Oct. 21 during jury selection before Judge Mark Greenberg
of Dallas County Court No. 5. Dallas attorney Frank L. Branson represented the
family of Casey Tyrone Baxter along with firm attorneys Debbie Dudley Branson,
Michael G. Guajardo and Thomas J. Farmer.

The lawsuit charged that Phoenix-based Swift Transportation Co. Inc. was responsible
when its driver, Douglas Spencer Waters, lost control of a tractor-trailer and
crossed over the median on Interstate 20, crashing into an oncoming Chevrolet
Trailblazer carrying three generations of a Texas family.

Killed in the crash were 30-year-old Casey Tyrone Baxter, his 9-year-old daughter
Jaleigha Tatiana Williams and Ms. Williams' 49-year-old mother Sue Pratt Williams.
Mr. Baxter's wife, 28-year-old Joanna Sue Williams, suffered severe injuries in the
crash.

In the truck crash lawsuit, Mr. Branson charged that Swift was negligent for failing
to adequately maintain the tractor-trailer and for failing to spot Mr. Waters'
falsified driving logs, among other claims. Experts were prepared to testify that
the truck's left front wheel was worn and a front-end alignment problem caused the
steering wheel to shake. Experts also found that Mr. Waters had falsified his
driver's log. Swift, a privately owned company, operates the largest trucking fleet
in the United States.

"We subsidize trucking companies by allowing them to use public roads. These trucks
owe us an obligation to make our safety their top priority," Mr. Branson says. "In
one instant, this family suffered a devastating tragedy from which it will never
recover."

The wreck occurred before dawn on April 10, 2007, as Mr. Baxter was driving
eastbound on Interstate 20 near Colorado City. Mr. Waters and a co-driver were
traveling westbound when the tractor-trailer crossed the median and struck the
family's SUV. Evidence in the case showed that Mr. Waters was traveling in rainy
conditions at 66 miles per hour when he lost control of the truck. The lawsuit
charged Swift and Mr. Waters with negligence and gross negligence for the manner in
which Mr. Waters was operating the truck and the truck's poor maintenance at the
time of the wreck.

The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson handles civil cases for a wide variety of
clients, whether they have been seriously injured through the negligence of a truck
driver, a commercial air carrier or during a construction accident. The firm also
represents the victims of dangerous consumer products and clients in business tort
cases. To learn more about Mr. Branson and his firm, visit http://www.flbranson.com.

For more information, please contact Robert Tharp at 800-559-4534 or
Robert@androvett.com.



Web Site: http://www.flbranson.com

Contact Details: Robert Tharp, Androvett Legal Media, 2501 Oak Lawn, Dallas, Texas
75201 robert@androvett.com