Hartford, CT: A jury in Hartford Superior Court found Jarmoc Tobacco negligent in the death of Richard A. Boudreault of Enfield who was killed in August of 2006 when his motorcycle crashed into a tractor operated by an employee of the tobacco company. Attorney Andy Groher, from the Hartford Law Firm of RisCassi and Davis, represented the estate of Mr. Boudreault.
“The farm tractor involved in this fatal crash was built in 1944 and had no lights or turn signals on it, underscoring a significant problem when these farm vehicles venture out onto the public roadways. According to studies done by the University of Florida and the USDA, wide turns like this one are among the most common causes of fatal crashes between agricultural equipment and other vehicles on the road.”
At the time of the accident, the farm tractor being operated by an employee for Jarmoc Tobacco, pulled to the far right of the roadway and made a sudden left-hand turn in front of Boudreault’s motorcycle, causing him to lose control of his motorcycle and to slide underneath the trailer attached to the tractor. The trailer then dragged Mr. Boudreault along the roadway, causing severe injuries which resulted in his death on August 24, 2006.
The jury found the economic loss to the estate to be $987,980.00 and the non-economic loss to the estate to be $432,020.00. It also found a loss of consortium to Susan Boudreault of $580,00.00. The total verdict was $2,000,000.00. The jury also assessed the percentages of negligence between the parties as 50% for the plaintiff and 50% for the defendant.