Port Arthur, Texas Jury Awards $11,488 in Rear-End Collision

On April 8, 2016, a sport utility vehicle, driven by a construction worker, was traveling north on Highway 82 in Port Arthur, Texas. While the SUV was stopped, its rear end was struck by a trailing pickup truck. The SUV driver claimed he sustained injuries to an arm, his neck, and a shoulder and subsequently sued the pickup truck driver, alleging negligence in vehicle operation.

The plaintiff testified he had stopped due to traffic at a red light during rush hour when the collision occurred. An investigating officer listed the defendant’s failure to control speed as a contributing factor. The plaintiff claimed a left shoulder contusion, left forearm abrasions, and a herniated disc at T12-L1, seeking approximately $120,000 in damages for past and future medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain. Property damage to the vehicles was significant.

The defendant denied the existence of a stoplight at the location and asserted the plaintiff stopped without reason. The defense also denied significant injury to the plaintiff, emphasizing the absence of extensive medical treatment, such as physical therapy or prescription medication, beyond an initial emergency room visit two days after the incident and a medical clinic visit over a month later. The defense contended that imaging studies, including an MRI, showed only degenerative conditions unrelated to the accident, and that the plaintiff continued working in the weeks following the collision.

After a two-day trial, the jury deliberated for 63 minutes and found the defendant negligent. The jury awarded the plaintiff $11,488.45 for past medical costs, past physical impairment, past lost earnings capability, past and future disfigurement, and past and future physical pain and mental anguish.