Puckrein v. ATI Transport, Inc.

BFI (defendant) hired ATI (defendant) to haul waste across state lines by truck, but never inquired into whether ATI's trucks were properly registered and insured; ATI's truck, which was unregistered, uninsured, and had defective brakes, struck and killed the Puckreins, whose representatives (plaintiffs) sued both companies for negligence. The trial court granted BFI summary judgment, treating ATI as an ordinary independent contractor for whose negligence BFI bore no responsibility.