Jury awards $37 million to man paralyzed in crash after driver put his car in neutral

A Jackson County jury has awarded an Orrick, Mo. resident $37.5 million after a vehicle and tractor-trailer crash left him paraplegic.

Steve Holdeman was driving on Interstate 435 near Winner Road on Feb. 13, 2014, when he slowed in order not to hit a stalled vehicle in front of him. The driver of the stalled vehicle, Philip Stratman, had shifted his car into neutral to preserve his car brakes when his vehicle stalled in the middle of the highway.

After Holdeman slowed, an 18-wheeler and motor carrier stuck him, rendering him paraplegic. Holdeman had enjoyed deep-wilderness camping, hiking and motorcycling before the crash, according to a statement released by the law firm that represented him in court, Dollar, Burns & Becker.

Though Holdeman brought suit against both Stratman and the driver of the truck, a jury found Stratman 99 percent at fault in Jackson County Circuit Court. Tim Dollar, Holdeman’s attorney, said the dollar figure will stand, as there are no caps on similar judgments in Missouri.

“I think the evidence that you have a person putting their car in neutral on the interstate in order to save fuel and keep his car clean,” Dollar said. “When you have that, I think it’s pretty compelling.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Jury awards $37 million to man paralyzed in crash after driver put his car in neutral."