$1.55 million Cumberland County school board auto collision lawsuit settled

The Cumberland County Board of Education settled a lawsuit for $1.55 million involving a woman that was injured in a 2017 wreck with a school district vehicle.

“At a recent settlement mediation, insurers for the Board of Education agreed to pay a total sum of $1.55 million dollars in full and complete settlement of all of Ms. (Deborah) Terry’s claims,” explained Nickolas J. Sojka Jr., an attorney for the school board.

As described in the State Highway Patrol report, Deborah Terry was in her vehicle going westbound on Clinton Road in Stedman around 7 am on February 8, 2017. William Robert Jackson was going east while driving a school district dump truck that was also pulling a trailer attached to it. Jackson crossed the center line and struck another vehicle head-on. In an attempt to overcorrect, the truck jackknifed across the center lane, subsequently colliding with Terry’s vehicle. 

The accident report outlines that the damage to the dump truck was estimated at $6,000 while the damage to Terry’s vehicle was nearly double at an estimated $12,000.

According to the 2019 lawsuit that Terry filed with Cumberland County Superior Court, she suffered numerous injuries including a spinal cord injury, ankle fracture, various shoulder injuries, and nerve damage. “The severity of her injuries will require future medical care for the remainder of her life,” Sojka explains. 

Jackson was cited by the State Highway Patrol for exceeding a safe speed limit. 

https://www.fayobserver.com/story/news/2021/11/11/nc-cumberland-county-school-board-lawsuit-settlement-district-vehicle-wreck/6375747001/