Brian Mohs and Co-Counsel Cooper Spence Secured a Landmark Result for a Client Whose Injuries Were Permanent and Whose Evidence Was Deliberately Destroyed
On July 9, 2026, a Henry County State Court jury returned an $8.2 million verdict for plaintiff Priscilla Jones, a certified nursing assistant who was seriously injured when a tractor-trailer ran a red light and struck her vehicle in Henry County, Georgia. The verdict, reached in a bifurcated trial before Judge Boles, included $8 million for past and future pain and suffering and $208,774.22 for past medical expenses. The jury also determined that Mayani Trucking, LLC bore 70 percent of the fault and driver Habib Baynah bore 30 percent.
The case was handled by Fried Goldberg partner Brian T. Mohs and co-counsel Cooper Spence.
What Happened at the Intersection of Lake Spivey Parkway and I-75
Priscilla Jones was driving through the intersection of Lake Spivey Parkway and the I-75 South exit ramp when a tractor-trailer operated by Habib Baynah on behalf of Mayani Trucking, LLC ran a red light and struck her vehicle on the driver's side. The force of the crash pushed her off the roadway. The truck overturned on top of her vehicle, and she was trapped inside for 44 minutes while first responders used the jaws of life to extricate her.
She sustained fractures to her back, right knee, and left big toe. The injuries were severe enough that, after two to three years of treatment including injections and right knee surgery, her doctors told her there was nothing more that could be done medically and that her pain and limitations would be permanent. A woman who had spent her career as a certified nursing assistant providing in-home comfort care to hospice patients was physically unable to return to that work.
The Trucking Company's Response to the Lawsuit
The conduct of Mayani Trucking, LLC after the crash became a central element of the case. Shortly after the crash, co-counsel Cooper Spence sent the company a letter demanding that all evidence be preserved. Despite that letter, the trucking company destroyed the truck and burned all company records before the lawsuit was filed. This is precisely the kind of evidence destruction that experienced truck accident investigators are trained to anticipate and address, and it reflects a pattern our firm has seen in cases where carriers know their records would expose serious safety failures.
The truck driver claimed that his brakes failed. The defendants admitted they caused the crash but neither admitted to any wrongdoing. The jury was left to evaluate those claims in the context of a company that had already made its own records unavailable.
The Defense's Pre-Existing Injury Argument and Why the Jury Rejected It
The defendants argued that some of Ms. Jones's injuries were unrelated to the crash because she had been involved in four prior crashes with injuries and had years of prior treatment to some of the same parts of her body. This is one of the most commonly deployed defenses in serious truck accident cases, and it is one that insurance companies and trucking carriers invest significant resources in building.
The jury disagreed. The $8 million award for pain and suffering reflects a determination that what happened to Priscilla Jones at that intersection, and what it cost her for the rest of her life, was the direct result of the defendants' conduct. A prior injury doesn't reduce what an at-fault driver owes for the permanent harm their negligence caused. The jury understood that, and their verdict said so.
Brian Mohs reflected on what the verdict meant for his client.
"Priscilla devoted her career to caring for people in their most vulnerable moments," Mohs said. "When the defendants tried to minimize what she lost by pointing to her prior medical history, we were determined to show the jury the full picture of who she is and what this crash took from her permanently. The jury got it exactly right."
What This Verdict Reflects About How We Build Cases
The facts of this case illustrate several principles that define how Fried Goldberg approaches truck accident litigation. When a trucking company destroys evidence after receiving a preservation letter, that conduct doesn't end the investigation. It intensifies it, because what a company chooses to destroy tells its own story, and skilled attorneys know how to put that story in front of a jury.
When a carrier admits fault but disputes the extent of the resulting harm, the battle shifts to damages, and winning that battle requires medical evidence, expert testimony, and the ability to present a client's life and losses in a way that a jury can fully understand and feel. That's what Joe Fried has described as the core of trial work: finding the compelling human story in a client's case and telling it in a way that makes each juror feel it as their own. The Priscilla Jones verdict is that principle in action.
The full range of truck accident injuries that produce permanent consequences, including spinal fractures, orthopedic damage requiring surgery, and chronic pain that ends a career, are the kinds of cases where the gap between what insurance companies initially offer and what a jury ultimately awards can be enormous. That gap exists because insurance companies are betting that a case won't make it to trial, or that a trial will go differently. Brian Mohs and Cooper Spence answered that bet.
The Result
Phase One verdict: Mayani Trucking, LLC — 70% fault. Habib Baynah — 30% fault.
Total: $8,208,774.22.
If You or a Loved One Has Been Seriously Injured in a Truck Crash, We're Ready to Fight.
Fried Goldberg LLC represents victims of serious truck accidents throughout Georgia and nationwide. If a trucking company's negligence changed your life, contact us for a free, confidential consultation. There are no fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
"My experience at Fried Goldberg LLC exceeded my expectations in every way. Following my accident, I was in tremendous pain, financially desperate, and very afraid. From the moment I walked through their office door until the day I settled my case, I was treated with the utmost respect, kindness, and unwavering professionalism." — Hannah L., ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐