Coca-Cola & truck drivers facing lawsuits truck drivers for crashes

Coca-Cola and two of its truck drivers are facing lawsuits after accidents they allegedly caused.  In the first case, a Hardin county man claims that a Coca-Cola truck backed into his vehicle while he was parked in a private parking lot in Beaumont.

The driver of the truck is accused of failing to keep a proper lookout, failing to check behind his truck before reversing, failing to drive safely, failing to apply his brakes in time to avoid a collision, and failing to apply his brakes in a timely fashion.

As a result of the crash, the victim, Kenneth Stanley, claims that he sustained neck, back, and body injuries that continue to plague him and which have contributed to his continued mental decline.  The case against Coca-Cola Enterprises and truck driver Jonathan Anthony was filed in Jefferson County District Court late last month.

In the second case, another Hardin County woman has filed suit against Coke and another truck driver for injuries that she and her co-plaintiffs sustained in 2008.  The woman, Devan Ambrose, and her co-plaintiffs claim they were lawfully parked on the shoulder of the Eastex Freeway in Beaumont when they were struck by a Coca-Cola truck being driven by Curtis L. Thomas.

The plaintiffs claim that they have experienced physical and mental pain and suffering, have amassed medical bills, lost their earning capacity, and suffered property damage.  They accuse the driver of failing to: control his vehicle, keep a lookout, apply his brakes, exercise ordinary care, turn to avoid a crash, maintain a safe distance, drive in a single lane, change lanes safely.  This case was also filed in Jefferson County Court, on April 12.