Truck Wreck Case: Contreras vs. KV Trucking
Tractor-trailer crosses median, strikes pickup, SUV
Oct. 15, 2007.
On Monday, September 20, 2004, Joel Mendoza Ruiz, Hector Zapata Ruiz, Marcos Esparza Esparza, German Esparza Velasquez, Candelario Esparza and Javier Esparza were passengers in a Ford pickup driven by Manuel Esparza, traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 75 outside Sherman, Texas. The gentlemen were returning home from work after having spent the day on a roofing job in Sherman, Texas. At or about the same time, Miroslaw Janusz Jozwiak was operating a 1999 Freightliner tractor and pulling a 1997 Trailmobile 53-foot trailer in the right lane of northbound U.S. Highway 75.
Jozwiak’s tractor-trailer, suddenly, left the right northbound lane in which he was traveling, crossed over the left northbound lane, veered across the grassy median into oncoming traffic in the southbound lanes of Highway 75, and struck the vehicle driven by Esparza.
Manuel Esparza, Joel Mendoza Ruiz, Hector Zapata Ruiz, Marcos Esparza, German Esparza Velasquez all died as a result. Candelario Esparza and Javier Esparza survived, but sustained permanent catastrophic injuries.
Following the wreck, Defendant Jozwiak sought to conceal certain personal effects. Investigators eventually recovered medications from Jozwiak’s briefcase which indicate he may have been intoxicated or incapacitated and not capable of responsibly operating his vehicle. Further, Jozwiak suffered from a mental disorder.
Investigators also determined that the tractor-trailer’s brakes were grossly out of adjustment and in a severe state of disrepair.
Defendant Jozwiak was charged with multiple counts of criminally negligent homicide on September 21, 2004.
During the course of this case, the truck wreck attorneys at Fineberg Gresham diligently investigated all details, and unearthed the facts that resulted in substantial compensation for the victims and their families.
If you or a loved one have suffered a catastrophic injury or even death as the result of an 18-wheeler accident, contact the truck wreck attorneys at Fineberg Gresham for a free consultation.
Read more about the truck accident in the Law Reporter.