Ninety days after Bill Card was struck by a semi tractor-trailer, his 70th birthday came and went. He wasn’t there to celebrate. He had passed away in April, two weeks after the wreck that left him with a severe traumatic brain injury.
This tragedy occurred in 2021. Now, Craig, Kelley & Faultless is sharing Mr. Card’s story.
In a recent case-breakdown video, truck accident attorney David Craig and the Card family discuss the wrongful death and what can be done to prevent others from facing similar tragedies.
The Wreck Was Quick, Brutal, and Preventable
“There’s been a bad traffic accident,” the caller told the 911 operator. “The gentleman is not responding.”
William “Bill” Card was on his way to buy parts for a tractor on the afternoon of April 16, 2021. He was in Decatur Township in southwest Indianapolis, where he’d lived his whole life.
No one could have predicted that Mr. Card would be catastrophically injured that day.
At the traffic light at Camby Road and Kentucky Avenue, Mr. Card began to make a left-hand turn in his Ford F-150 pickup truck. A semi tractor-trailer entered the intersection, struck Mr. Card’s truck, and crushed its front end.
Mr. Card survived the crash, but his injury would be fatal.
“He Was the Glue That Held His Family Together.”
He would have given the shirt off his back for anyone, Georgia, Mr. Card’s wife, said. He was good, the kind of man who works hard but makes time for his family. The kind of man who inspires his children.
Mr. Card and Georgia were married in 1972 — approaching their 49th anniversary the year that he died — and had two sons, Scott and Chris.
“I would like to think that I am half the person he was,” Chris said.
Mr. Card adored his seven grandchildren, the youngest of whom he lovingly called “kitten.” He was their rock.
Where Do We Go from Here?
The Cards’ oldest son, Scott, called Georgia on April 16 and told her his father had been in an accident.
He suffered a severe traumatic brain injury and was unconscious at the scene of the wreck. Later, the doctor told the Card family that some people could survive this type of brain injury — but many did not.
Twelve days after the crash, on April 28, 2021, Mr. Card passed away in the hospital.
A lawyer his family knew encouraged them to call truck accident attorney David Craig with Craig, Kelley & Faultless. Fortunately, the Cards contacted our firm soon after the crash. Our rapid response team was able to head to the scene of the crash and search for evidence.
Next Steps: Investigating the Semi-Truck Wreck
According to the driver of the semi tractor-trailer, Mr. Card ran a red light, and that’s why he was in the big rig’s path.
But Georgia knew her husband, and her sons knew their father. He was a careful driver; they could not imagine him running a red light. Craig, Kelley & Faultless began the investigation to find out what really happened.
The roadway where the crash occurred had some skid marks and other markings. An accident reconstructionist used a drone to record an aerial view of the wreck site and filmed video and photographs of the scene at eye-level.
In any commercial motor vehicle crash case, preserving evidence is crucial. If an attorney’s team cannot visit the wreck site soon enough, markings, debris and other valuable forms of evidence might be lost.
Seeing the intersection allowed our rapid response team to visualize the crash, but a few key pieces of information would re-shape the case entirely.
Downloading Vehicle Data Reveals the Truth of a Crash
Most commercial motor vehicles in the United States are outfitted with Electronic Control Modules (ECMs). These devices monitor heavy trucks’ engine performance, speed, braking, mechanical issues, and more.
This data is stored in the event data recorder, commonly known as the black box, and can be downloaded by accident investigators.
In Mr. Card’s case, our team downloaded the 18-wheeler’s data and found that it neither stopped nor braked when it approached the intersection.
We were able to download the data from Mr. Card’s pickup truck and found that he had stopped at the light, then, once it turned green, proceeded at a normal pace into the intersection. Witnesses of the crash reported the same story.
The semi driver had lied. He was the one who ran the red light, not Mr. Card. The trucker’s negligence killed an innocent man.
Inadequate Insurance Coverage Complicates Injury Cases
Not only had the trucker neglected safety and lied about it, he also began moving money around after the wreck to hide his assets.
A common issue in commercial motor vehicle wreck cases is inadequate insurance coverage. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration established a minimum insurance requirement of $750,000 for interstate motor carriers in 1980.
This standard has not changed in 45 years. If it had increased with inflation, this requirement would now be more than $5 million.
The trucker who struck Mr. Card had $1 million of coverage. Here are the economic damages for which this coverage was supposed to compensate:
- More than $500,000 in medical bills for Mr. Card
- $50,000 for Mr. Card’s totaled Ford F-150
- A nearby truck that had been damaged in the wreck
- Medical bills for two other people who were injured by the crash
- Lost wages and lost future earnings
Attorney David Craig said the trucker’s insurance coverage was “completely inadequate for any life, but, certainly, it was inadequate for Mr. Card’s life.”
The love, affection, guidance and companionship that Mrs. Card, their children and their grandchildren lost was the most significant element of damage.
A Grieving Family Looks to the Future
The Card family is grateful for the help Craig, Kelley & Faultless could provide them. They called the firm “welcoming” and said no one looked at them any differently, despite the high emotions involved.
“The money can never replace the person you’ve lost, but the help you get along the way is monumental,” Mr. Card’s wife, Georgia, said. “That comes from family, the attorneys you pick, talking about it…You never get over it, but those things help.”
Today, the Card family continues to grieve the man they lost. Though he is gone, they remember how fiercely he loved and how it felt to be loved by him.
They advocate for change, hoping that the FMCSA will increase the minimum insurance requirements for interstate motor carriers. If we are to prevent more families from losing loved ones in tragic, unnecessary crashes, change must occur.
This case clearly shows how inadequate the current insurance limits in the trucking industry are. The $1 million didn’t cover the economic damages, let alone the non-economic damages. It is time for a change.
Mr. Card’s story is featured on the Institute for Safer Trucking website. This organization lobbies for change in the commercial trucking industry, pushing for speed limiters, dual-facing cameras, underride protection, increased insurance requirements and other safeguards.
Anyone can make a donation on the non-profit organization’s website.
In Memory of Bill Card
William “Bill” Card was born on July 15, 1951, in Indianapolis. He was a 1969 graduate of Decatur Central High School, his obituary reports.
He married Georgia in 1972. Their sons Scott and Chris, daughters-in-law Kim and Amanda, and seven grandchildren were what mattered most to Mr. Card.
In 2016, he retired from his position as General Manager of mechanical maintenance on semis. He was also the owner-operator of G&B Lawn Care and Hayworks.
Wrongful Death Truck Accident Attorneys
The team at Craig, Kelley & Faultless is fortunate to be a resource for families going through the most difficult periods of their lives.
No one deserves to be hurt, killed or lose a loved one because of another driver’s negligence. Unfortunately, stories like Mr. Card’s are far too common. Each year, dozens of innocent people die in preventable wrecks.
It is our mission at Craig, Kelley & Faultless to help these victims recover. We will not be outworked. Our team is led by board-certified truck accident attorneys, and we are prepared to hold trucking and insurance companies accountable.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a wreck with a semi tractor-trailer or another commercial motor vehicle, contact us today at (800) 746-0226 or through our online form.
David W. Craig is a nationally recognized truck accident lawyer who sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. He is board certified in Truck Accident Law. He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. He was the recipient of the National Thurgood Marshall “Fighting for Justice” Award for his work helping victims of truck wrecks. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.
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