MAHONING COUNTY Jury awards damages to Pa. man

The plaintiff was a road construction worker setting up safety barrels.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A jury in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court awarded $1.7 million in damages to a western Pennsylvania man for injuries he sustained in a 1999 traffic accident.
Randy Graham of Greenville, Pa., got $1.1 million to cover his medical expenses and other costs incurred as a result of the accident, and $600,000 for pain and suffering.
"It's been a long road getting here," said Graham's lawyer, Brian P. Kopp of Youngstown. The jury deliberated about nearly three hours Thursday before returning with the verdict and award.
What happened
Kopp said Graham, 46, was a road construction worker setting up orange safety barrels for a project along state Route 11, near the Canfield exit, June 22, 1999.
A tractor-trailer owned by Warner Enterprises of Omaha, Neb., drove past and one of its rear wheels hit a barrel Graham was setting in place. Kopp said the contact knocked Graham to the ground and caused injuries to his back and neck.
Kopp said Graham showed no serious effects from the collision until about 18 months later, when he developed symptoms that required him to have back surgery in Pittsburgh. Graham has been unable to work since then, Kopp said.
The trucking company's lawyer, A. Scott Norman of Columbus, said during his closing argument to the jury that the long lag indicated Graham's injuries were not caused by the collision, so the company should not be held responsible.
bjackson@vindy.com