Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-almd-1_04-cv-00950/USCOURTS-almd-1_04-cv-00950-4/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Drivers Management, Inc.
Defendant
James Moon
Plaintiff
Robert Waggoner
Defendant
Werner Enterprises, Inc.
Defendant

Document Text:

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR

THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF ALABAMA

SOUTHERN DIVISION

JAMES MOON, as personal representative)

of the Estate of Randy Eugene Moon, )

)

Plaintiff, )

v. ) CASE NO. 1:04-cv-950-F 

) (WO)

WERNER ENTERPRISE, INC., et al., )

)

Defendants. )

ORDER ON PRETRIAL HEARING

A pretrial hearing was held in this case on August 9, 2005, wherein the

following proceedings were held and actions taken.

1. PARTIES AND TRIAL COUNSEL

Plaintiff:

James Moon, As Executor of the Estate of Randy Eugene Moon

COUNSEL APPEARING AT PRETRIAL HEARING:

Harry P. Hall, II

FARMER, PRICE, HORNSBY & WEATHERFORD, LLP.

P.O. Drawer 2228

Dothan, Alabama 36302

Defendant:

Robert Waggoner

COUNSEL APPEARING AT PRETRIAL HEARING

J. E. Sawyer, Jr., Esquire

203 S. Edwards Street

Enterprise, Alabama 36330

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Defendants:

Werner Enterprises, Inc.

Drivers Management, Inc.

COUNSEL APPEARING AT PRETRIAL HEARING

Edgar M. Elliott, IV, Esq.

CHRISTIAN, SMALL, LLP

505 20th Street North

Suite 1800

Birmingham, Alabama 35203-2696

2. JURISDICTION AND VENUE

Jurisdiction for this case is established pursuant to 28 USC § 1332. The

plaintiff and his decedent are/were citizens of Alabama. Mr. Waggoner is a

resident of the State of Ohio. Werner Enterprises, Inc. and Drivers Management,

Inc. are corporate citizens of the State of Nebraska, and are incorporated under the

laws of the State of Nebraska. 

Venue is proper in the United States District Court for the Middle District

of Alabama because the motor vehicle accident that is the subject of this case

occurred in Coffee County, Alabama within the Southern Division of the United

States District Court of the Middle District of Alabama.

3. PLEADINGS

The Complaint in this case was filed on September 21, 2004. 

The Defendants have each answered the Complaint filed in this case. 

4. CONTENTIONS OF THE PARTIES:

(a) The Plaintiff:

On August 29, 2003 Defendant Werner Enterprises, Inc. (“Werner”) used a

wholly owned subsidiary company, Drivers Management, Inc. (“DMI”), to recruit

and hire the Defendant driver Robert Waggoner. Werner operates approximately

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8500 trucks in its business of transporting goods for clients all over the United

States. Mr. Waggoner had been driving tractor-trailer trucks for various employers

for a total of 22 months when he was hired by Werner and DMI. Mr. Waggoner

was dispatched by Werner to travel to various points across the country and pick

up loads and transport them to their destination. Mr. Waggoner was paid $0.28 per

mile for his driving initially and later this was reduced to $0.27 per mile. Mr.

Waggoner was entitled to a bonus from his employer if he met certain

requirements. These bonuses were tied to his fuel efficiency and miles achieved if

he met his minimum mileage per month. 

On February 19, 2004 Mr. Waggoner was dispatched to travel to

Tuscaloosa, Alabama from Daleville, Alabama in order to pick up a load of goods

for Werner. Mr. Waggoner drove to Enterprise, Alabama and proceeded along the

Boll Weevil Circle (a/k/a the 84 bypass) to the north. Mr. Waggoner was stopped

at the two red lights prior to the intersection where the accident occurred. When

Mr. Waggoner received the green light for his lane at the light in front of the Dairy

Queen on Boll Weevil Circle, he accelerated up a hill towards the intersection with

Rucker Boulevard. As Mr. Waggoner accelerated towards the intersection with

Rucker Boulevard, the traffic on Rucker Boulevard was stopped for a red light.

 Randy Moon was on Rucker Boulevard heading west toward downtown

and was stopped at the intersection in the first position in the right hand lane

traveling straight on to Glover Avenue. Several witnesses behind and beside Mr.

Moon saw all the lights for the traffic traveling west on Rucker Boulevard

(including Mr. Moon) change from red to green. At the same time Mr. Waggoner

was accelerating into the intersection under a red light, Randy Moon pulled

forward to travel under his green light. Mr. Waggoner claims his traffic light was

green, but Plaintiff contends this is not accurate and that Mr. Waggoner proceeded

into and through a red light for his lane of travel.

At the time of the collision of the vehicles Mr. Waggoner was traveling

approximately 37-40 miles per hour. The Werner truck struck Randy Moon’s

vehicle in the driver’s side door and pushed it across the intersection as it rolled

over until it came to rest on the median between the north and south-bound lanes

of the Boll Weevil Circle. Mr. Moon was rendered unconscious by the impact.

Several witnesses immediately left their vehicles to run to Randy Moon’s aid. One

witness, Ken Edmondson, raced to the Moon vehicle only to be stopped by Mr.

Waggoner who wanted to argue that Randy Moon was at fault in the accident. At

one point while Mr. Edmondson was trying to get the door open to Randy Moon’s

vehicle, he yelled for help, but Mr. Waggoner never assisted him in any way. Mr.

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Waggoner engaged in other arguments with other witnesses about whose fault the

accident was prior to police arriving. 

Once emergency personnel arrived, Randy Moon was extracted from his

vehicle with the “Jaws of Life” and transported to the Enterprise Medical Center.

He was stabilized there and taken to Southeast Alabama Medical Center in

Dothan. Randy suffered severe swelling of the brain and on February 21st at 8:00

AM was pronounced dead. The Defendants have stipulated that the injuries

received in the collision with the Werner truck caused Randy Moon’s death. 

The plaintiff is seeking punitive damages under Alabama’s Wrongful Death

Statute. 

(b) The Defendants Werner Enterprises, Inc. and Drivers 

Management, LLC (incorrectly named as "Drivers 

Management, Inc."):

These defendants deny the allegations in plaintiff's complaint. These

defendants contend that at the time of the accident complained of, the deceased

was guilty of contributory negligence which proximately contributed to cause his

death. These defendants contend that the Alabama Wrongful Death statute

violates the Alabama and United States Constitution, as is more specifically set out

in their Answers to plaintiff's Complaint.

The defendant Drivers Management further contends that in the event the

court grants the defendants' "Motion in Limine To Preclude Evidence Regarding

Alleged Negligent Hiring, Training and Supervision" and determines that there are

no negligent or wanton hiring, training, or supervision claims, Drivers

Management should be dismissed from the case as there would be no claim which

could be maintained against it. 

(c) The Defendant Robert Waggoner's Contentions:

Defendant Waggoner hereby adopts the contentions of the

Defendant's Werner Enterprises, Inc. and Drivers Management, Inc.

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5. STIPULATIONS BY AND BETWEEN THE PARTIES

(a) That the date of the accident was February 19, 2004 and it occurred at the

intersection of the 84 Bypass (Boll Weevil Circle) and Rucker Boulevard in

Enterprise, Alabama. 

(b) That Robert Waggoner was acting in the line and scope of his employment

as an agent of Werner Enterprises, Inc. at the time of this accident. 

(c) That there were no drugs or alcohol in Robert Waggoner's system at the

time of the accident.

(d) That Randy Moon died on February 21, 2004 as a result of injuries he

received in the collision which occurred on February 19, 2004 involving a Werner

Enterprises truck driven by Robert Waggoner. 

(e) That James Moon is the proper party to bring this action on behalf of the

Estate of Randy Moon.

It is ORDERED that:

(1) The jury selection and trial of this cause, which is to last three (3) days, are

set for September 7, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. at the federal courthouse in Dothan,

Alabama;

(2) A trial docket will be mailed to counsel for each party approximately three

weeks prior to the start of the trial term;

(3) Each party shall have available at the time of trial, for use by the court (the

judge, the courtroom deputy clerk, and the law clerk), three copies of the exhibit

list and a sufficient number of copies of each photostatically reproducible exhibit

for opposing counsel, the courtroom deputy clerk, the law clerk, and the judge to

each have a set of the exhibits;

(4) All deadlines not otherwise effected by this order, including deadlines for

the filing of motions in limine, proposed jury instructions and requested voir dire,

will remain as set forth in the Uniform Scheduling Order (Doc. # 6) entered by the

court on November 8, 2004;

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(5) All understandings, agreements, deadlines, and stipulations contained in

this Pretrial Order shall be binding on all parties unless this Order be hereafter

modified by Order of the Court.

DONE this 18th day of August, 2005.

 /s/ Mark E. Fuller 

CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

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