Defendant's Verdict.
Kevin Schnurbusch obtained a defendant's verdict before a jury in Div. 23 of the City of St. Louis, before the Honorable Donald McCullin. The case was tried over 3 days and resulted in a defendant's verdict with the jury deliberating for less than 10 minutes. Plaintiff sued MoDOT after his Jeep was forced from the road by another driver crossing the center line of Lemay Ferry Road just north of the Meramec River bridge. He went down a steep embankment and struck a tree when he was ejected from his vehicle, suffering serious injuries that resulted in special damages in excess of $60,000. He claimed that the road should have been protected by a guardrail or clear zone in accordance with AASHTO guidelines. Defendant contended that the roadway met all relevant standards at the time it was designed and constructed in 1934 and even under modern best practices the road did not need a guardrail.