Pickup driver cleared in rear-end accident with van on U.S. Route 60

A southern Missouri jury sided with a 40-year-old Cabool man sued by a Neosho woman and her business partner whose vehicle was struck in the rear after they pulled over for a passing ambulance.

Ramesh Moorjani, 62, and Natalie Davenport-Hernandez, 44, sued Jeffrey Glenn Watts in Wright County Circuit Court after the collision in 2016, which happened shortly after 10 p.m. on westbound U.S. Route 60 near Mansfield. 

Springfield defense attorney David Adair said the two were returning to southwest Missouri from a Florida trade show when they pulled onto the shoulder to make room for an ambulance that had activated its emergency lights and siren. 

After they returned to the highway, their 2016 Dodge Caravan was hit from behind by a 2011 Ford F-150 driven by Watts. Moorjani’s injuries included a herniated disc at L5-S1, while his passenger’s post-crash injuries included nerve damage and lower-back pain.

A witness driving on eastbound U.S. 60 told the Missouri State Highway Patrol and later testified that Moorjani “pulled out in front” of the other car without yielding. The two plaintiffs testified that they had been behind the ambulance for two to three minutes before being hit.

The plaintiffs’ attorney, Patrick Martucci, is seeking a new trial. In part, his motion challenges defense comments about Moorjani’s appearing from his home in Dubai via Zoom link that Martucci alleges were prejudicial to his client.

Moorjani had testified remotely on doctor’s orders as a concession to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the jury pool initially assembled at a church before the chosen jury was summoned to the county courthouse. 

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