Houston, Texas Jury Awards $175,000 in Rear-End Collision Case

On August 11, 2015, a vehicle operated by the plaintiff was rear-ended by a vehicle operated by the defendant at the intersection of North State Highway 6 and Willow River Drive in Houston, Texas. The plaintiff's vehicle was stopped at a red light, traveling northbound, when the collision occurred. The plaintiff was transported from the scene to a local hospital by ambulance.

The plaintiff subsequently filed a lawsuit, alleging the defendant's negligence included failing to maintain a proper lookout, failing to pay attention, operating a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for safety, and failing to heed traffic laws. The plaintiff claimed to have suffered injuries including cervicalgia, thoracalgia, lumbalgia, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, sleep disturbance, post-traumatic headaches, post-traumatic anxiety, and post-concussion syndrome. Further diagnoses included a C5-C6 acute central disc protrusion indenting the ventral cervical cord with moderate canal stenosis and a herniated nucleus pulposus of the lumbar spine, requiring cervical and lumbar epidural injections.

The defendant generally denied all allegations of negligence and injury. Following a trial in Houston, Texas, a jury found the defendant negligent. On July 23, 2019, the jury awarded the plaintiff a total of $175,000. This amount included $8,000 for past pain and suffering, $28,000 for past medical expenses, $8,000 for past lost wages, and $131,000 for future pain and suffering.