An injured driver has been awarded $8 million in compensation for an accident involving a semi-truck that failed to stop at a stop sign a little over two years ago.
The accident occurred on March 3, 2024, near the intersection of W. Reno Ave. and Frontier Drive in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. An Oklahoma County jury awarded Aldin Lewis, 31, a total of $8 million on March 26, 2026.
According to The Oklahoman, the truck driver, 32-year-old Wilayat Hussain, was working for Chandi 209 Trucking when he pulled out of a private road and merged onto Reno Avenue “without proper signage,” according to the lawsuit. Hussain reportedly failed to stop at the stop sign, and his semi-truck blocked both eastbound lanes of Reno Avenue as he attempted to turn, causing Lewis to collide with the truck. Lewis claims he could not see Hussain’s semi-truck at the time of the accident.
Lewis’s 1985 Chevy K10 pickup truck, which his father had given him, was totaled in the accident, and Lewis suffered serious injuries to his neck, head, and other parts of his body. Doctors say he will need to undergo neck surgery as a result of the accident.
Lewis’s attorneys allege that Chandi 209 Trucking acted with gross negligence in hiring and training Hussain, who was a recent immigrant from Pakistan and had difficulty with English. Chandi 209 Trucking has denied the allegations of negligence and any liability for the damages. Attorneys representing the company stated that Hussain “was turning his tractor-trailer while performing his duties,” but maintain that Lewis “failed to yield to Hussain’s truck on the roadway,” which caused the accident. They also argued that Lewis “did not suffer injuries as severe as alleged.”
Since then, Lewis has been awarded nearly $4.3 million in actual damages and $3.5 million in punitive damages, for a total of approximately $8 million.
“It’s been a magnificent outcome, and we’re very pleased with it,” said Travis Leverett, one of Lewis’s attorneys at the Oklahoma City-based law firm Parrish DeVaughn. “And I think it sends a very clear message to the trucking company: you have to be very careful when deciding who to put behind the wheel of a semi-truck.”
“I want (these companies) to learn that, while it may seem like a good idea in the short term to hire low-cost drivers, in the long term it’s actually better—and will likely save them money in the long run—if they hire qualified professional drivers,” Leverett said.
Lewis is currently working to support his family and is expecting a new baby.
“Life probably won’t be the same as it was going to be before, but he’s a happy guy,” Leverett said.
