Blinded woman wins U-Haul suit
A King County jury has awarded $15.5 million to a Renton woman who was disfigured and blinded in February 2004 when part of an entertainment center flew from a rented U-Haul trailer and crashed through her windshield. Maria Federici’s lawyers had sought $38 million in damages.
Jurors found U-Haul most liable, ordering it to pay two-thirds of the award, and said the driver who was towing the entertainment center, James Hefley, should pay the rest.
Her attorneys argued that there was no way to secure loads safely on the trailers and that even though other accidents had been reported, U-Haul took no corrective action.
The accident inspired legislators to pass “Maria’s Law,” which criminalized the failure to secure a load when someone is injured or killed.
Before the law took effect in 2005, drivers who lost their loads could be cited only for a traffic infraction with a maximum fine of $250.
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