Bexar County Jury Awards $124,496,993 in Defective Seat Crash

In December 2012, a 7-year-old minor plaintiff was a rear-seat passenger in a 2005 Audi A4, stopped in traffic on SH 16 in Bexar County. The vehicle was struck from the rear by another driver. As a result of the collision, the driver's seat in the plaintiff's vehicle allegedly failed and collapsed backward, causing the driver's head to strike the minor plaintiff's head. The plaintiff sustained a severe brain injury, a fractured skull, and was diagnosed with subsequent blindness and partial paralysis.

The plaintiff filed a lawsuit in the 73rd Judicial District Court of Bexar County, alleging negligence against the driver whose vehicle struck theirs. The lawsuit also claimed the motor vehicle manufacturer was liable for defective design of its 2005 A4, specifically regarding the driver's seat, and for inadequate warnings.

The defendants denied the allegations. The defendant driver and the defendant manufacturer maintained that the plaintiff and the vehicle's driver were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the incident. The manufacturer further contended that the seat back was not defectively designed and denied that the plaintiff's injuries resulted from contact with the driver's head.

The case proceeded to a four-week trial. After two-and-a-half days of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. The jury assessed liability at 25% to the defendant driver, 55% to the defendant manufacturer, and 20% to the plaintiff driver. The plaintiff was awarded a total sum of $124,496,993 in damages.