Burnet County Negligent Auto Repair Fire Injury Settles

On December 21, 2013, two plaintiffs were involved in a collision with another driver on U.S. Route 281 North in Burnet County, Texas. The plaintiffs, driving a Honda Fit sedan, were struck during a rainstorm. Their vehicle subsequently caught fire, and one plaintiff sustained severe burns while trapped inside, along with multiple fractures and other injuries. The second plaintiff suffered various severe crush injuries and internal trauma.

The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against a collision center, alleging negligent repair of their vehicle. They claimed the collision center, which had replaced the car's roof 13 months prior, used adhesive glue instead of welding it, compromising the vehicle's structural integrity and contributing to the fire and the severity of their injuries. Plaintiffs' accident reconstruction and biomechanical experts testified that the improper repair caused the roof to buckle and separate, leading to structural failures and the fuel tank being struck, which amplified the injuries. The defense denied negligence, asserting that the accident was unavoidable due to the severe rainstorm and the force of the impact would have caused the same injuries regardless of the roof repair method. Defense experts contended that glue was as strong as welds and that the injuries resulted from deceleration, not structural collapse.

The jury found the collision center 75 percent negligent and the non-party driver 25 percent negligent. A total award of $41,936,423 was determined, which was reduced to $31,452,317 due to comparative fault. The case later settled under a confidential high/low agreement.