Mesquite, Texas Court Awards $73,495 in Rear-End Collision

On July 26, 2015, a motor vehicle collision occurred in Mesquite, Texas, at the intersection of the LBJ Freeway exit ramp and La Prada Drive. A plaintiff driver was exiting the freeway and turning right onto westbound La Prada Drive with a green traffic light. A plaintiff passenger was in the vehicle. As their vehicle proceeded, a defendant driver, traveling westbound on La Prada Drive, allegedly ran a red light and collided with the rear of the plaintiffs' vehicle. The plaintiffs subsequently filed a negligence claim.

The plaintiffs contended that the defendant's actions caused the collision and their injuries. The plaintiff driver sustained lumbar, cervical, and thoracic sprains/strains, radiculitis, muscle spasms, and disc bulges/protrusions, requiring physical therapy and chiropractic care. The plaintiff passenger suffered lumbar, cervical, and thoracic sprains/strains, disc bulges, and muscle spasms, missed three days of work, and received chiropractic treatment. The defendant denied negligence and asserted that the plaintiff driver was comparatively negligent.

The court found that the defendant's negligence was the sole proximate cause of the collision. The plaintiff driver was awarded a total of $36,206, which included $16,206 for past medical expenses, $10,000 for past physical pain and suffering, and $10,000 for future physical pain. The plaintiff passenger was awarded $37,289, comprising $13,194 for past medical expenses, $10,000 for past physical pain, $4,095 for future medical expenses, and $10,000 for future physical pain. The judgment was rendered on September 25, 2019.