Garland, Texas Jury Awards $88,000 in Red-Light Collision

In Garland, Texas, a day care facility employee filed a lawsuit following a July 2, 2015, vehicle collision. The plaintiff was proceeding through an intersection when another vehicle, driven by the defendant, struck the left side of the plaintiff's car. The plaintiff alleged the defendant was negligent in the operation of her vehicle, claiming she had a green traffic signal while the defendant disregarded a red signal. A police report, citing the defendant's disregard of a stop-and-go signal as a contributing factor, was admitted into evidence.

The plaintiff claimed injuries to her back, hip, neck, and shoulder, along with radicular pain. Emergency medical technicians examined her at the scene, and she sought treatment the following day with her primary care doctor, which led to physical therapy, an emergency room visit, pain management, and a steroid injection to her hip. An MRI of the hip reportedly showed cystic changes, which the plaintiff's counsel attributed to the accident. The plaintiff sought compensation for past and future medical expenses, as well as past and future physical pain, mental anguish, and physical impairment.

The defendant did not attend the trial, and the defense stipulated to liability after the plaintiff presented her case. The defense argued that the plaintiff's hip issues were degenerative and age-related, rather than caused by the accident. Defense counsel suggested an award of $4,000 for past medical expenses, a few thousand for past physical pain and mental anguish, and zero for all other damages. After a one-day trial and 50 minutes of deliberation, the jury awarded the plaintiff $88,000. The award included $4,000 for past medical costs, $20,000 for future medical costs, $5,000 for past physical impairment, $15,000 for future physical impairment, $14,000 for past physical pain and mental anguish, and $30,000 for future physical pain and mental anguish.