Last updated: April 27, 2026
A $96,675,000 result was secured for a minor paralyzed in Florida by multiple trucking defendants. Behind a number that large is a reality no family should ever face, and a standard for what accountability has to look like when it does.
Key facts
- Settlement amount: $96,675,000
- Ranking: #1 Motor Vehicle and Trucking Settlement of 2025, per CaseMetrix (a legal database used nationally by plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and mediators)
- Case type: Paralysis of a minor
- State: Florida
- Defendants: Multiple trucking defendants
- Lead counsel: Joseph V. Camerlengo Jr., Founding Partner, The Truck Accident Law Firm; Board Certified in Truck Accident Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA)
- Co-counsel: Alex Jean, Long & Jean, P.A. (Pompano Beach, Florida)
- Firm record: The Truck Accident Law Firm has recovered more than $1 billion for clients in truck accident cases
CaseMetrix has released its Top 10 Motor Vehicle and Trucking Settlements of 2025. At the top of the list, by a wide margin over the next-largest result, is a $96.675 million settlement obtained for a minor paralyzed in Florida. The case was handled by Joseph V. Camerlengo Jr. of The Truck Accident Law Firm, with Alex Jean of Long & Jean, P.A.
It is the largest trucking-related settlement reported anywhere in the country for the year.
It is also a reminder of what gets lost when settlement amounts become headlines: a minor whose body will never work the way it was meant to, a family whose life has been rerouted around lifelong medical care, and a series of decisions made by companies that put profit ahead of the people sharing the road with them.
Why this number exists
A $96.675 million settlement reflects what a lifetime of catastrophic paralysis actually costs. In a case involving a paralyzed minor, that cost stretches across decades:
- Lifetime medical care. Surgeries, rehabilitation, durable medical equipment, in-home nursing, accessible housing, accessible vehicles. None of these are optional. All of them have to be paid for somehow.
- Lost earning capacity. A paralyzed minor will never have the same options as the person they would have become. That loss has to be quantified.
- Pain, disfigurement, and the things you cannot bill for. The law calls these non-economic damages. Families call them everything that has been taken from them.
A settlement of this size is meant to ensure that a minor does not outlive the resources required to care for them.
What CaseMetrix is, and why this ranking matters
CaseMetrix is a settlement and verdict database used by plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and mediators to evaluate case values across the country. Their annual Top 10 list reflects the largest reported motor vehicle and trucking settlements compiled through their network for the year.
Being ranked #1 on that list is not the point. The point is what the ranking represents: that a minor paralyzed in Florida received the largest trucking-related accountability of any case reported in CaseMetrix’s database in 2025, and that the trucking defendants involved had to answer for it.
What it actually takes to get a result like this
Most people do not realize how much defense apparatus the trucking industry has built around minimizing catastrophic crashes.
The moment a serious truck crash happens, defense teams are dispatched to the scene. Evidence is preserved or, more often, allowed to disappear. Driver logs, dash cam footage, electronic control module data, dispatch records, qualification files, drug-test results, prior safety violations: all of it has a shelf life, and trucking companies know it. By the time the family is at a hospital bedside, the defense file is already being built.
The lawyers who routinely secure results in this category share a few things in common:
- They focus exclusively on truck cases. Not personal injury generally. Not “we also handle truck accidents.” The federal regulations under the FMCSA, the industry tactics, the depositions of safety directors and dispatch managers: these are full-time disciplines.
- They hold board certifications. The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) certifies trial attorneys. The Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) certifies specialists in truck accident litigation. These are not participation credentials. They are specialist credentials, and most attorneys do not hold them.
- They build for trial, even when they expect to settle. Trucking defendants pay their highest amounts when they understand the alternative is a courtroom and a jury who has seen the full picture.
Joseph V. Camerlengo Jr. is Board Certified in Truck Accident Law by the NBTA. He co-founded The Truck Accident Law Firm in 2017 with the explicit purpose of doing only this kind of work. The firm’s paralegal team is also board certified in truck accident litigation by the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. That depth of specialization is rare, and in catastrophic cases, it is the thing that separates a result that covers a child’s lifetime needs from a result that runs out.
A standard, not a story
The settlement at the top of CaseMetrix’s 2025 list is not a story we want to tell to celebrate. The injuries underlying it are not a marketing asset.
The result itself is part of a larger record, one that families weighing how to choose an attorney after a catastrophic truck crash are entitled to see clearly.
The Truck Accident Law Firm has now recovered more than $1 billion for clients in truck accident cases. The work is done by attorneys and paralegals who focus on this, and only this, every day.
If your family is facing the aftermath of a serious truck crash, the firm spending the most on television advertising is not necessarily the firm best equipped to take on a fully-staffed trucking defense. Specialization matters. Credentials matter. The track record matters.
Catastrophic truck cases are not ordinary personal injury cases. They should not be handled like ordinary personal injury cases.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a truck crash, you are entitled to a free, no-obligation conversation with attorneys who handle these cases every day.
Call 888-511-TRUCK (888-511-8782) or request a free case review. The Truck Accident Law Firm represents clients nationwide. Atendemos en español. You pay nothing unless we win.
Frequently asked questions
What was the largest trucking settlement of 2025?
The largest motor vehicle and trucking settlement reported in 2025 was a $96,675,000 settlement obtained for a minor paralyzed in Florida, involving multiple trucking defendants. The result was named #1 on CaseMetrix’s Top 10 Motor Vehicle and Trucking Settlements of 2025. The case was handled by Joseph V. Camerlengo Jr. of The Truck Accident Law Firm, with Alex Jean of Long & Jean, P.A.
What is CaseMetrix?
CaseMetrix is a settlement and verdict database used nationally by plaintiff attorneys, defense attorneys, insurance carriers, and mediators to evaluate case values. The platform compiles reported motor vehicle, trucking, and premises liability settlements and verdicts. Each year, CaseMetrix publishes a Top 10 ranking of the largest motor vehicle and trucking settlements reported through its network.
How are settlement amounts calculated in catastrophic truck accident cases?
Settlement amounts in catastrophic truck cases are calculated to cover the lifetime financial impact of the injury. In a catastrophic paralysis case involving a child, that includes lifetime medical care (surgeries, rehabilitation, in-home nursing, durable medical equipment, accessible housing, accessible vehicles), lost earning capacity over a working lifetime, and non-economic damages such as pain, disfigurement, and loss of life enjoyment. The size of the settlement reflects the cost of meeting those needs across decades.
What is board certification in truck accident law?
Board certification in truck accident law is a specialist credential issued by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) to attorneys who have demonstrated specialized knowledge, trial experience, and peer-reviewed expertise in truck accident litigation. It is a rigorous, voluntary credential that most attorneys do not hold. Joseph V. Camerlengo Jr., Founding Partner of The Truck Accident Law Firm, is Board Certified in Truck Accident Law by the NBTA.
What is the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA)?
The Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) is a national organization that certifies attorneys and paralegals as specialists in truck accident litigation. ATAA-certified paralegals have demonstrated specialized expertise in trucking regulations, evidence preservation, and case-development standards specific to commercial motor vehicle litigation. The Truck Accident Law Firm’s paralegal team holds ATAA board certification in truck accident litigation.
Why does specialization matter in catastrophic truck accident cases?
Catastrophic truck cases involve federal trucking regulations (FMCSA), industry-specific evidence (driver logs, ECM data, dispatch records, qualification files), and well-funded corporate defense teams that move quickly to preserve or limit evidence. A firm that handles only truck accident cases will be familiar with these tactics and credentials in ways generalist personal injury firms typically are not. Specialization is reflected in board certifications, exclusive case focus, and a track record of large catastrophic-case results.
Does The Truck Accident Law Firm handle cases nationwide?
Yes. The Truck Accident Law Firm represents truck accident clients nationwide and works with co-counsel attorneys throughout the country on catastrophic truck cases. Consultations are free, and the firm operates on a contingency fee basis: clients pay nothing unless the firm recovers a result. Service is available in English and Spanish.
Settlement data: CaseMetrix, Top 10 Motor Vehicle and Trucking Settlements of 2025. Co-counsel acknowledgment: Alex Jean, Long & Jean, P.A. (Pompano Beach, Florida).
Related reading from The Truck Accident Law Firm
- Help for Truck Accident Victims — what to do in the days and weeks after a serious truck crash
- Truck Crash FAQs — the most common questions families ask after a catastrophic truck crash
- Case Results — recoveries across paralysis, wrongful death, and serious-injury cases
- Attorney Referral — for attorneys with a catastrophic truck case in need of co-counsel
