Houston Jury Awards $1,425,000 in Vehicle-Pedestrian Accident
A person was walking in a parking lot when they were struck by a vehicle. The injured person suffered serious leg injuries requiring surgery and future knee replacement. The jury found the defendants negligent and awarded damages.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $1,500,000
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2016
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Knee Injury
- Accident Type
- Pedestrian
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence, Auto/Pedestrian Collision
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $1,500,000 is above the median of $37,329 for knee injury cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $7,500 to $82,795, based on 16 cases in our database.
Case Overview
A pedestrian filed a personal injury lawsuit after being struck by a vehicle at a used car auction in Houston, Texas. On January 20, 2015, the plaintiff was walking through the auction parking lot when a vehicle, operated by an independent contractor hired to move cars, hit the plaintiff. The plaintiff sustained serious orthopedic injuries to a leg, which required surgery and was expected to necessitate future knee replacement surgery.
The plaintiff alleged that the defendant driver was negligent for failing to control the vehicle's speed, maintain a proper lookout, exercise caution, and keep a safe distance. The plaintiff also claimed that the defendant auction company and the defendant personnel company were vicariously liable for the driver's actions. Additionally, the plaintiff asserted that the companies were negligent for failing to investigate the driver's alleged history of unsafe driving and for maintaining an unsafe auction setup and driver direction system.
The defendants denied all allegations of negligence, arguing that the plaintiff caused the incident. They maintained that the plaintiff was looking down at paperwork while walking through the parking lot and stepped in front of the moving vehicle.
A jury ultimately found the defendants negligent. Liability was apportioned as 40% to the defendant auction company, 50% to the defendant personnel company, and 5% to the defendant driver. The plaintiff was found to be 5% comparatively negligent. The jury awarded total damages of $1,500,000, which was reduced to $1,425,000 to reflect the plaintiff's comparative negligence.
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 2016, 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 is within expected ranges
This score is calculated by analyzing injury type, accident details, geographic location, temporal trends, and comparing against 2,000+ similar cases in our database.
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