Austin Jury Awards $2.43M in Fatal Truck Rear-End Collision
A passenger died in a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 183 in Austin. The collision involved two vehicles that were pushed into northbound lanes and struck by another car. The family of the deceased sued the drivers and their employers, alleging negligence in operation, distraction, and failure to train and monitor drivers. The defense admitted to following too closely but argued that cell phone use and training did not contribute to the crash. The jury found one driver and his employer mostly at fault.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
About Wrongful Death Injuries
Wrongful death claims arise when a car accident fatality is caused by another party's negligence. These cases compensate surviving family members for their losses and the decedent's pain and suffering.
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $2,150,000
- County
- Cameron County, TX
- Resolved
- 2016
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Wrongful Death
- Accident Type
- Multi-vehicle
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $2,150,000 is near the median of $6,500,000 for wrongful death cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $800,000 to $15,000,000, based on 34 cases in our database.
Case Overview
On October 6, 2014, a multi-vehicle collision on Highway 183 in Austin, Texas, resulted in the death of a 30-year-old passenger. The passenger's vehicle was rear-ended by a truck towing a boom lift, driven by an employee of Dynamic Industries Inc. The impact pushed the vehicle into oncoming traffic, where it was struck again, causing fatal injuries.
The deceased's family, joined by the driver of the deceased's vehicle (as a cross-plaintiff), sued the truck driver and Dynamic Industries Inc., alleging negligence and gross negligence. Plaintiffs contended the truck driver failed to maintain a proper lookout, control speed, and avoid the collision, also alleging cell phone distraction. They claimed Dynamic Industries Inc. was vicariously liable and directly negligent for insufficient training and policies, with their experts supporting these claims. Dynamic Industries Inc. conceded its employee was following too closely and accepted vicarious liability. However, the defendants argued the employee's hands-free cell phone use and alleged training deficiencies did not cause the crash, with defense experts acknowledging the employee's negligence in following too closely but asserting other factors were not causal.
After a seven-day trial, the jury found the truck driver 80 percent negligent and Dynamic Industries Inc. 20 percent negligent. The driver of the deceased's vehicle was found not negligent. Dynamic Industries Inc. was held 100 percent liable for the total award because its employee was acting within the scope of employment. The jury awarded the deceased's family $2.15 million and the cross-plaintiff $282,000.
Understanding This Case
- This case went to trial and resulted in a jury verdict. Verdicts can yield higher awards but carry the risk of receiving nothing if the jury rules against the plaintiff.
- This case was resolved in Cameron County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
- Resolved in 2016, this case reflects the legal and economic conditions of that period, including medical costs, insurance practices, and jury award trends at the time.
VerdictlyTM Score
This outcome is within expected ranges
This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.
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