NASHVILLE — A Tennessee appeals court has affirmed a $575,000 compensation award to a United Parcel Service driver whose right shoulder was permanently damaged when a commercial dealership vehicle rammed him from behind.
The ruling turns back an appeal by Serra Chevrolet LLC and driver Bryant Johnson. Both defendants had sought to throw out or slash the February 2025 jury verdict, arguing that delivery driver Randy Gooden had kept working his route without taking a pay cut. The appellate panel flatly rejected that logic on November 9. The judges ruled that jurors had ample medical and financial evidence to conclude the crash truncated Gooden's career.
He had planned to drive until age 53. The collision upended that math.
The dispute stems from January 13, 2022, when Johnson, operating a vehicle for Serra Chevrolet, struck Gooden's delivery truck from behind. Gooden sued both Johnson and the auto dealership, seeking $1.5 million in total damages. Though Gooden returned to his daily parcel routes, intense shoulder pain turned routine deliveries into a grueling physical trial. He often relied on the goodwill of customers on his route to lift heavy packages so he could finish his shifts.
Gooden sought treatment weeks after the collision, entering physical therapy on January 31, 2022, with severely compromised mobility and diminished grip strength in his right hand.
Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Apurva Dalal took over his treatment in February 2022, diagnosing rotator cuff inflammation, severe shoulder impingement, joint arthritis, and partial rotator cuff tears. Dalal administered steroid injections and prescribed physical therapy, temporarily clearing Gooden to return to work without restrictions in May 2022. Yet by September, Gooden's mobility had deteriorated sharply. Dalal concluded the crash inflicted permanent damage, barring Gooden from lifting more than 25 pounds, executing repetitive movements, or performing overhead tasks.
Serra Chevrolet pushed back with its own medical consultant. Dr. Claiborne Christian, who never physically examined Gooden and relied strictly on file reviews, testified that any crash-induced injury had resolved by June 2022. Christian insisted that Gooden's persistent symptoms stemmed entirely from pre-existing degenerate conditions.
The appeals court affirmed that jurors were fully within their rights to credit the hands-on findings of the treating surgeon over a defense file review.
The evidence supported the jury's findings that the crash caused permanent shoulder damage and affected the driver's future earning capacity.
Tennessee Court of Appeals
Gooden testified that sheer financial survival drove him back to work. He concealed his 25-pound lifting restriction from UPS managers out of immediate fear of losing his job, listing only high blood pressure on an internal company medical questionnaire in April 2023.
Vocational rehabilitation expert Dr. David Strauser delivered pivotal testimony at trial, showing that Gooden earns between $105,000 and $115,000 annually at UPS, bolstered by extensive overtime. Were Gooden forced out of commercial freight into an entry-level courier position paying roughly $30,000, his lost earning capacity would range between $74,000 and $84,000 each year. Strauser warned that logistics workers laboring past severe physical restrictions routinely break down within five to six years.
| Damages Category | Awarded Amount |
|---|---|
| Permanent Injury | $250,000 |
| Lost Future Earning Capacity | $225,000 |
| Past Pain and Suffering | $40,000 |
| Future Pain and Suffering | $40,000 |
| Past Loss of Enjoyment of Life | $10,000 |
| Future Loss of Enjoyment of Life | $10,000 |
| Total Final Award |
The appellate panel affirmed the Shelby County Circuit Court's ruling in full and remanded the case back to the trial bench for final execution proceedings.
| $575,000 |