A left turn, a commercial truck, and an official finding against the rider
A union pipe fitter on a motorcycle was stopped at a light in Steubenville, Ohio, about to turn left. The collision with a commercial truck that followed was blamed on him: the Ohio State Highway Patrol's findings said he caused the crash.
He was hand-delivered a traffic citation while he was confined to an inpatient rehabilitation facility, recovering from a traumatic amputation and a brain injury.
Injuries that do not end when the hospital stay does
He lost an arm and a leg. A traumatic brain injury left him with no memory of the crash, so he could not tell anyone what had happened to him.
An offer of $350,000
Before trial, the defense maintained that the rider was at fault and offered $350,000 to settle. That sum was a fraction of his medical bills.
The insurers never raised their position. No representative of the defendants' insurance companies attended or monitored the trial.
The evidence, tested in a courtroom
The trial team conducted an extensive investigation, addressed the disputed interpretations through pretrial motions, and presented evidence at trial that examined the reliability of the first investigation.
Jurors heard from an independent eyewitness, reviewed expert opinions and the physical evidence, and reached their own conclusions about what had occurred.
A jury's answer
The Jefferson County jury returned a verdict of $82,105,345.70 and assigned 100 percent of the fault to the commercial truck driver.
“This case required the jury to look beyond early conclusions and examine the real evidence as it actually existed. The courtroom is where credibility is tested and truth is established, not where unexamined accusations or incomplete investigations are simply accepted.”
06A trial team's work
The verdict was not one lawyer’s. George tried the case with co-counsel, and credited them by name when the firm announced it.
“The verdict in this case would not be possible without the incredible work of my co-counsel: attorneys Michael Leizerman, Aaron DeShaw, Jon Bond, and Jeff Bruzzese.”
- Michael Leizerman
- Aaron DeShaw
- Jon Bond
- Jeff Bruzzese
07Hear George tell it
George has told the full story of the case on the Trial Lawyers University podcast. Watch the conversation on the Media page.
08The announcement, as carried
The Injury Rights Law Firm announced the verdict on December 31, 2025. The announcement was carried by these outlets.
Past results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own facts.