Houston Jury Awards $15,000,000 in Pedestrian Wrongful Death
A nurse was struck by an SUV while crossing the street after her shift. She died from her injuries. The driver was employed by a company and was operating a company vehicle. The hospital where the nurse worked and the county were also involved in the case. The jury found multiple parties negligent, including the driver, the hospital, the county, and the decedent.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
About Wrongful Death Injuries
Wrongful death claims arise when a car accident fatality is caused by another party's negligence. These cases compensate surviving family members for their losses and the decedent's pain and suffering.
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $15,000,000
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2018
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Wrongful Death
- Accident Type
- Pedestrian
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence, Auto/Pedestrian Collision
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $15,000,000 is above the median of $6,500,000 for wrongful death cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $800,000 to $15,000,000, based on 34 cases in our database.
Case Overview
A pedestrian died after being struck by an SUV in Houston, Texas, on March 17, 2015. The 64-year-old nurse had finished her shift at Houston Northwest Medical Center and was crossing the 17400 block of Cali Drive to reach her car when the collision occurred. The driver, operating a company vehicle for a defendant company, had exited a private drive. The pedestrian died from her injuries hours later. Her estate subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging the driver was negligent and the company negligently entrusted its vehicle.
The estate further alleged that a defendant county and the hospital were aware of dangerous conditions for pedestrians crossing Cali Drive and that similar accidents had occurred previously. The defendant driver and company sought to designate the hospital as a responsible third-party, arguing the hospital encouraged pedestrians to cross the street unsafely to reach parking. All named defendants denied negligence, attributing fault to other parties.
Following a trial, a jury found multiple parties negligent for the pedestrian's death. The jury attributed 40% of the negligence to the defendant driver, 30% to the defendant county, 20% to the defendant hospital, and 10% to the decedent. The jury awarded the decedent's spouse $10,000,000 and each of her two adult children $2,500,000 in damages.
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 2018, 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 significantly deviates from similar cases
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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