Lawsuit starts Monday against trucking giant

PORTLAND, Ore. - A trial begins Monday in a civil complaint that accuses trucking giant C.R. England Inc. of gross negligence.

The suit, which will be heard in Portland's federal courthouse, is being brought by Andrea Lister, the daughter of a woman who was severely injured in an accident with one of the company's trucks in late 2005.

Her mother initially filed suit but has since passed away from cancer.

In the suit, which seeks $430,000 in compensatory damages and punitive damages, Lister alleges that the company ignored the driver's checkered past and pushed him onto the highway, where he hit 85-year-old Marjorie Dunn.

Four years ago, Jesus Nieves Olivares, who is also named in the suit, was carrying a load of bananas when he ran a red light and collided with Dunn's Ford Escort station wagon.