Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Harding County man filed a complaint for damages against a truck driver, a trucking firm and its insurer over injuries he suffered in an accident near Logan in 2021, alleging the trucker was incompetent.
The plaintiff, Nathan Eggart, asserts that Iowa-based CRST International shouldn’t have employed driver William Llewellyn of North Carolina, citing his previous traffic violations.
Eggart filed the lawsuit in district court in Tucumcari on Feb. 9 against Llewellyn, CRST and Ace American Insurance.
The Roybal-Mack & Cordova law film in Albuquerque filed the suit on Eggart’s behalf.
According to the complaint, the accident occurred the morning of Feb. 27, 2021, on U.S. 54 near Logan.
Eggart, 20 at the time, was driving west on the highway in a pickup truck. Llewellyn was behind him in a Freightliner truck owned by CRST.
Eggart had stopped on the highway with his left turn signal activated. Llewellyn crashed his rig into Eggart’s vehicle, causing it to spin, flip across the highway and come to rest on its top on the south side of U.S. 54.
The lawsuit states “Llewellyn has a history of traffic infractions within the State of New Mexico prior to the citation resulting from the collision, which is the subject of this complaint.”
Those infractions include no proof of insurance, failure to keep proper lookout, improper display of registration, speeding and careless driving, the suit states.
Llewellyn was cited for careless driving after the Eggart crash and later pleaded no contest.
Eggart was taken to Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari for nausea, bruises and abrasions, and back, head and neck pain.
He later was diagnosed with herniated discs in his spine. The complaint states Eggart continues to be treated for injuries from the collision, including possible future surgery.
It states Eggart has incurred medical bills and has suffered from lost wages and employment as a rancher and barn builder due to his injuries.
The lawsuit alleges two counts of negligence by Llewellyn, plus counts of liability, negligent hiring and negligence by CRST, stating Llewellyn was an “incompetent” driver “unfit for his employment.”
Eggart requests a jury trial.
A lawyer for Llewellyn, CRST or Ace was not listed in online court documents.