The case is Etheridge v. USA Truck, LLC, et al., Case No. CL2304235H-00, tried in Virginia 7th Circuit State Court.
A Newport News jury awarded $2.25 million Thursday to the family of a Virginia teenager killed after a commercial truck driver illegally parked his rig in a live travel lane and walked into a fast food restaurant. The verdict caps a six-day trial that put trucking company liability, driver negligence, and causation squarely before a Virginia jury.
What Happened on Jefferson Avenue
In March 2023, USA Truck driver Leonard Couplin parked his tractor-trailer in the right lane of Jefferson Avenue in Newport News, Virginia, and left the vehicle unattended to enter a nearby restaurant.
Keon Couch, 17, was a passenger in a car driven by Carlos Palmer, then 16. As Palmer's vehicle approached the stopped big rig, it struck two other cars before colliding with the parked tractor-trailer. That final collision killed Couch.
USA Truck and Couplin did not contest the parking violation. Their defense centered entirely on causation arguing that Palmer's driving, not the unattended truck, was the actual cause of the wreck.
The Defense Argument: Palmer's Driving Was the Sole Cause
Defense attorney Ashley Winsky of Moran Reeves Conn told jurors that the tractor-trailer was visible and had its hazard lights flashing immediately before the crash. She argued that Palmer was speeding, tailgating, and made a blind lane change that set the collision in motion.
"Our argument is that the sole proximate cause of this accident was Carlos Palmer's reckless driving," Winsky told the jury. "He didn't look. He just made a blind lane change when his whole view was blocked."
The Plaintiff's Case: Parking a Big Rig in a Live Lane Created a Fatal Hazard
Joseph Fried of Fried Goldberg, representing Couch's family, argued that Couplin violated his training and multiple trucking rules by stopping in the roadway and abandoning the vehicle. He acknowledged that Palmer's car struck other vehicles first -- but emphasized that it was the collision with the parked tractor-trailer that proved fatal.
"Part of our problem with the parking out there is because it adds so much more risk," Fried told jurors. "It was the configuration of that trailer. If this had been almost anything else the vehicle collided with, we wouldn't be here today."
Fried requested between approximately $34 million and $38 million in compensatory damages, plus a finding that punitive damages were warranted.
The Verdict: $2.25 Million, No Punitives
Jurors sided with the plaintiff on liability, awarding $2.25 million in total damages:
$950,000 to each of Couch's two siblings
$350,000 to Couch's mother
The jury declined to award punitive damages.
In a post-verdict statement to CVN, Fried said: "I am extremely proud of the case that we tried, even though the verdict was less than we hoped to achieve. It was a very hard fought case on both liability and damages."
Fried noted that a challenging family dynamic affected the damages phase, particularly the award to Couch's mother. "The challenge for me was to explain that, despite these facts, the relationship was a special one and warranted a substantial verdict under Virginia law," he wrote.
Winsky, for her part, told CVN the jury "returned a fair verdict that was consistent with our valuation of the case." She added that the defense took the case to trial because it viewed the plaintiff's financial demand as excessive, and cited concerns about nuclear verdicts in the transportation industry.
What This Verdict Signals for Trucking Liability Cases
This case illustrates one of the more common battlegrounds in commercial trucking litigation: a defendant who concedes a safety violation but disputes whether that violation actually caused the harm.
Couplin's improper parking was never in dispute. USA Truck's entire defense rested on the argument that an intervening act -- Palmer's driving -- broke the chain of causation. Virginia juries, like most, weigh proximate cause carefully. Here, they found the parked tractor-trailer bore enough responsibility to hold the defendants liable, even without awarding punitive damages.
For plaintiff attorneys handling trucking cases, this outcome underscores the importance of framing causation arguments around the specific danger created by the defendant's conduct -- not just the sequence of events leading to impact.
Attorneys who have tried trucking and wrongful death cases can showcase their results on Major Verdict, where plaintiff lawyers build public profiles featuring detailed trial outcomes and notable settlements. The platform gives the plaintiff bar a dedicated space to establish credibility and connect with potential clients researching attorneys by verdict history.
About the Case
Case: Etheridge v. USA Truck, LLC, et al., CL2304235H-00
Court: Virginia 7th Circuit State Court, Newport News
Verdict date: February 25, 2026
Verdict: $2.25 million (compensatory); no punitive damages
Plaintiff counsel: Joseph Fried, Fried Goldberg
Families who have lost someone in a commercial truck crash can learn about the legal process through Virginia's personal injury resources at Major Verdict, or find a plaintiff attorney with a proven trial record in their state.
