PORTLAND, Ore. – A recent lawsuit in Oregon is shedding light about a deadly road rage incident involving professional truckers.
In June 2016, Sarah Allison was 30 and her husband, Matthew Allison, was 27. They were driving along Highway 20 near Burns, Oregon, heading home from Crater Lake when their lives came to a crashing halt.
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Attorneys for the family say a road rage incident spanned more than 90 miles along the winding two-lane highway among four commercial truck drivers.
According to court documents, these professional truck drivers were racing, speeding and brake checking each other, setting the stage for the feud.
Court documents reveal they were driving so aggressively and cutting each other off that when one truck driver attempted to pass another commercial RV ahead of him, he sped up so the truck couldn't get by, and around the blind turn was Sara and Matthew.
A truck and an RV coming toward them in both lanes.
The truck hit them head on, killing Sara and severely injuring Matthew.
One trucking company, Smoot Enterprises, admitted wrongdoing in a settlement, fired all three of their drivers. One of them serving six years in jail.
The other trucking company, Horizon Transport, has denied any wrongdoing and their driver is still on the road, but working for Swift Transport, one of the largest trucking companies in America.
But after three years, a jury in Pendleton recently found Horizon Transport liable for nearly $27 million in damages.
The attorneys hope is that this case will set an example for trucking companies to take a hard look at who they're letting behind the wheel.