Harris County Jury Awards $90M in Fatal Trucking Negligence

In 2014, a family's vehicle collided with a commercial truck owned by a defendant trucking company on I-20 in Texas during freezing rain and black ice conditions. The plaintiff family lost control of their vehicle, crossed a median, and struck the truck. A seven-year-old child died in the crash, while another family member sustained a traumatic brain injury and was rendered quadriplegic, requiring lifelong 24-hour medical care. Two other family members suffered traumatic brain injuries.

The family filed suit in the 127th District Court of Harris County, Texas, alleging motor vehicle negligence against the driver and negligence against the trucking company. They sought damages for physical pain, mental anguish, and future medical expenses. The plaintiff argued the defendant company displayed systematic disregard for safety policies and provided inadequate training for its new student drivers. They contended the defendant failed to equip the driver with basic safety tools, such as an outside temperature gauge or CB radio, which could have warned of hazardous road conditions.

The plaintiff presented evidence that the National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning for I-20 twelve hours before the collision, with an update two hours prior, but the defendant allegedly directed the student driver onto the road. The plaintiff asserted this was due to an expedited "Just-In-Time" delivery schedule and that the driver had operated at 50 mph on black ice for approximately an hour before the crash. Evidence also indicated the defendant reported an annual driver turnover rate exceeding 100 percent. The defendant denied the accusations, with its driver and witnesses asserting that black ice conditions did not exist on the roadway.

Following a six-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs. The jury awarded approximately $90 million in damages.