Houston Jury Awards $9,765 After Rear-End Collision

On January 29, 2016, a three-vehicle rear-impact collision occurred on Fairbanks North Houston Road in Houston, Texas. The plaintiff was stopped at a red light when the incident took place. Police responded to the scene but did not issue any citations or create a report. The plaintiff later reported neck and back injuries, along with headaches, and sought medical attention following the crash.

The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against the driver of the rearmost vehicle, alleging negligence. After that defendant claimed the driver of the middle vehicle caused the accident, the plaintiff added the middle driver as a co-defendant. The plaintiff subsequently settled with the co-defendant for a confidential amount prior to trial. The case proceeded against the original defendant. The plaintiff argued that the co-defendant's vehicle had stopped behind the plaintiff's car, and the defendant's vehicle then struck the co-defendant's, pushing it into the plaintiff's vehicle. The plaintiff alleged the defendant failed to maintain a proper lookout, control speed, or brake effectively. The defense contended that the co-defendant's vehicle had either already struck the plaintiff's car or stopped abruptly before the defendant's impact, characterizing the collision as a minor "tap" in stop-and-go traffic.

The plaintiff sought $9,765 for past medical expenses, claiming cervical disc protrusions, sprains, strains, and headaches. An ambulance had been called to the scene, but no one was transported. The defense argued that the minor nature of the impact could not have caused the claimed injuries and noted the plaintiff's pre-existing history of diabetes-related neck pain, suggesting the accident was used as an opportunity for additional treatment. Following a two-day trial, the jury deliberated for 90 minutes. The jury found the defendant solely negligent and the proximate cause of the plaintiff's injuries, awarding the plaintiff $9,765.