Houston Jury Awards $15,463 in Motor Vehicle Negligence
One driver failed to control their speed and struck the back of another vehicle. The injured driver sought compensation for pain, medical expenses, and lost earning capacity. The defense argued the accident was unavoidable and the injured driver was partially at fault. A jury found in favor of the injured driver.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $20,048
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2021
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Other
- Accident Type
- Other
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Accident
Settlement Context
This verdict-plaintiff of $20,048 is near the median of $14,473 for other cases resolved by verdict-plaintiff. The typical range is $4,770 to $42,056, based on 190 cases in our database.
Case Overview
A vehicle collision occurred on September 29, 2015, on South Loop East in Houston, Texas, when the defendant reportedly struck the plaintiff's vehicle after failing to control a vehicle's speed. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit on June 27, 2016, alleging the defendant was negligent in several ways, including failing to maintain control, apply brakes, keep a proper lookout, and obey traffic laws. The plaintiff sought compensation for physical pain, medical expenses, mental anguish, loss of earning capacity, and physical impairment.
The defendant filed a general denial and asserted affirmative defenses, including contributory negligence and unavoidable accident. The case proceeded through discovery, with the court denying a no-evidence motion for partial summary judgment filed by the plaintiff, except for dismissing the defendant's defense of failure to mitigate. A subsequent motion for partial summary judgment from the plaintiff was also denied.
The case proceeded to trial, and on September 29, 2021, a jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. The court ordered the defendant to pay the plaintiff a total of $15,463.00. This amount included $10,877.21 for past medical care expenses, $3,280.00 in prejudgment interest, and $1,305.79 in court costs. The judgment also stipulated post-judgment interest at 0.50% until the full amount was paid.
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 2021, 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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