According to the plaintiff’s pleadings: On June 16, 2003, Michael Hawkins was stopped in traffic in the eastbound lanes of Interstate Highway 26, near the Airport Road exit outside of Asheville. A driver for Haas Carriage, Inc., an Indiana trucking company, collided and propelled the Hawkins’ vehicle forward, causing it to collide with other vehicles, crushing Hawkins inside his vehicle.

The plaintiff alleged that the truck driver’s fatigue was a key factor in the crash, citing company documents, driver logs, cell phone records and ECM data. The defendants contended that driver fatigue had nothing to do with the crash.

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