Harris County Jury Awards Over $3M in 18-Wheeler Crash
One driver was traveling westbound and ran a red light, colliding with another driver's vehicle. The collision caused severe injuries to one driver and injuries to their family members. The case involved multiple defendants, including the driver, their employer, and a logistics company. The plaintiffs alleged negligence in various aspects of the driver's operation and the companies' oversight. The defendants raised defenses including contributory negligence and preemption.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $3,005,590
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2025
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Catastrophic Injury
- Accident Type
- Truck/Commercial
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Accident
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $3,005,590 is below the median of $11,275,666 for catastrophic injury cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $3,260,000 to $15,400,000, based on 11 cases in our database.
Case Overview
On October 7, 2018, an 18-wheeler ran a red light in Baytown, Harris County, Texas, colliding with a Honda Civic. The collision caused catastrophic personal injuries to the Civic's driver and injuries to family members in the vehicle. The 18-wheeler driver, who held a commercial license from another state despite residing in Texas for over 90 days, was operating the truck for Layser Trucking, on behalf of UV Logistics, while transporting pipe for Apache Corporation.
The injured Civic driver and his family members (plaintiffs) filed suit, alleging the 18-wheeler driver was negligent in controlling speed, maintaining a safe lookout, failing to stop at a red light, and yielding the right of way. They claimed Layser Trucking was vicariously liable as the employer and directly liable for negligent hiring, retention, training, supervision, and entrustment. Plaintiffs further alleged UV Logistics was liable as the motor carrier with non-delegable responsibilities, and Apache Corporation was liable for negligently selecting UV Logistics.
The defendants filed general denials, alleged contributory negligence by the Civic's driver, claimed pre-existing conditions, and sought limitations on damages. UV Logistics specifically argued that claims against it were preempted by federal law because it operated as a broker and denied any vicarious liability. On March 12, 2019, a jury found that Layser Trucking was acting as a motor carrier and the 18-wheeler driver was its employee, operating within the scope of employment, and that the driver's negligence proximately caused the collision. However, the jury found the driver was not operating the vehicle in furtherance of a mission for UV Logistics.
On March 12, 2025, the court entered judgment for the family member plaintiffs against the 18-wheeler driver and Layser Trucking. The court entered judgment for defendant UV Logistics against all plaintiffs. The judgment awarded damages totaling over $3 million to the family member plaintiffs, along with court costs, finding only the 18-wheeler driver and Layser Trucking liable.
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 Harris County, Texas. Local jury tendencies, judge assignments, and regional economic conditions all influence case outcomes in this jurisdiction.
- Resolved in 2025, 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 differs from typical similar cases
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