Representative Cases

Case Summary -- McCoy v. Transpo Industries, Inc. and State of Maryland

Robert L. Ferguson, Jr. represented defendant, Transpo Industries, Inc., a transportation engineering firm from New York, in a wrongful death action. Transpo is the designer and manufacturer of a widely used bolt and bracket mechanism used to keep large road signs in place yet, allow them to break away when struck by a motor vehicle in certain circumstances. Plaintiff brought her claim against the company after an automobile accident resulted in the death of her 25 year old husband. Mr. McCoy suffered a heart attack while driving his automobile, which caused him to lose control of his car, and strike a road sign and die. Plaintiff claimed both that the heart attack was survivable and that Transpo’s specially designed breakaway mechanism, installed on the sign, caused the death when it did not activate properly. We elected not to depose Plaintiff’s experts until they testified at trial. Through effective cross-examination, we were able to demonstrate that Transpo’s product performed in accordance with or superior to industry standards. Our client won when the Court granted our Motion for Judgment at the end of Plaintiff’s case.