SC jury: trucking firm whose 18-wheeler rear-ended van on I-26 must pay $33.6 million

Brandon Glover, riding in the passenger seat of his father’s van on I-26, suffered severe injuries when the van was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler truck.

Last week, an Orangeburg County jury ruled that the trucking company, JHOC Inc. of Georgia, and the company’s driver, David Hill, must pay Glover and his father, Willie Glover, a total of $33.6 million, including actual and punitive damages, according to court records.

“He’s still in terrible pain,” Brandon Glover’s attorney, Mark Tinsley, said in an interview. “No one seeing his pain would trade places with Brandon.”

Brandon Glover, now 26, will likely be permanently disabled and unable to work for the rest of his life, Tinsley said.

The jury awarded $14 million in damages to Brandon’s father, Willie Glover, 51, who was injured in the crash. Both men are from Orangeburg County. Willie Glover was represented by Orangeburg lawyers David Williams and Ginny Williams, a husband-wife legal team.

The jury was out less than two hours. Its verdict has not been reported in the news media until now.

The crash happened several miles north of I-95 in the northbound lanes of I-26 on Aug. 4, 2015, when it was still daylight and not raining. Evidence showed traffic was fairly heavy and moving about 60 mph, Tinsley said. The 18-wheeler was going an estimated 45 mph at time of impact, evidence showed.

Willie Glover slowed suddenly to avoid hitting a disabled vehicle in front of him that was jutting out onto the I-26 right-hand lane, according to evidence.

The JHOC truck “was following too closely and traveling too fast” and it rear-ended Willie Glover’s vehicle, which then crashed into a tree, Brandon Glover’s lawsuit said.

Brandon Glover suffered “injuries to his neck, back, right shoulder and other parts of his body,” the lawsuit said.

Tinsley argued to the jury that missing results from the driver’s drug test and missing logs of how long the 18-wheeler’s driver had been driving in the days before the crash were a cause for concern.

“In any case, a professional driver must leave enough space between him and the car in front of him to stop in time,” Tinsley said. “This is a classic example of aggressive driving by the driver of an 18-wheeler.”

The trucking company, JHOC Inc., had no immediate comment.

Rob Moseley, one of JHOC’s lawyers, said the company is filing some post-trial motions but beyond that had no comment because the case is still “pending litigation.”

The trial took five days. State Circuit Judge Edgar Dickson presided.

(This story has been updated to include the total for both Glovers.)

This story was originally published May 3, 2019 at 1:38 PM.