In March of 2021, a motorcyclist and US Marine had a ride that changed his life forever. After a bad street crash on his bike, Don Zemo suffered a T12 spinal cord injury, resulting in his permanent lower body paralysis. But earlier this week, a jury found in favor of Zemo's lawsuit, awarding him a $45 million settlement.
Who or what was the lawsuit about? The original complaint, which was filed in March 2022, sets the following scene. On March 21, 2021, plaintiff Don D. Zemo IV was riding his motorcycle toward the location of a towing company called MyHoopty.com LLC. At the same time, another person whose vehicle had been towed by that company was pulling out of their parking lot after having picked up his Ford Explorer that had been towed.
That's when things got dicey, as you'll see in the following security video that caught the crash as it happened. A driver of one of MyHoopty.com's tow trucks had apparently parked the truck in a dubious manner, so it was blocking the view of multiple drivers coming from multiple directions. As a result, the lawsuit said, neither the Ford Explorer driver nor Zemo on his motorcycle had adequate sightlines around the tow truck to be able to safely maneuver, and that's how the crash happened.
Although Zemo attempted to take evasive action once he realized what was about to happen, he still clipped the bumper of the Explorer and ended up having the bad crash you'll get a glimpse of in this video. Fair warning, it's hard to watch, even if you know what's coming.
On July 22, 2025, a jury found in Zemo's favor, awarding him $45M in a verdict that includes a section called "apportioning percentage(s) of negligence." After reviewing all the evidence presented, the jury decided that this life-changing crash was 65% the fault of MyHoopty.com LLC, 25% the fault of Explorer driver Dwayne Conley, and 10% the fault of Don Zemo.
This decision is intended to compensate for life-long expenses, including medical care and wage loss due to the severity of his injuries. Zemo was 26 years old at the time this crash changed his life.
It's a major settlement, and one that Zemo's lawfirm says will help Zemo have "the resources and support he needs to move forward with dignity, proper care, and renewed hope for the future."
