Reagan County Jury Awards $120,000,000 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Negligence

A fatal motor vehicle collision occurred on Highway 137 in Reagan County, Texas, on May 12, 2018. The incident involved a vehicle operated by a defendant driver, an employee of a defendant company, and another vehicle driven by a codefendant host driver, which carried a passenger who sustained fatal injuries. The estate and family of the deceased passenger subsequently filed a negligence lawsuit against both drivers and the defendant company.

The plaintiffs alleged the defendant driver, traveling southbound, fell asleep and veered into the northbound lane, directly striking the codefendant host driver's vehicle. They claimed the defendant driver failed to apply brakes, maintain a safe distance, stay in his lane, and operate the vehicle while awake and alert. The plaintiffs also alleged the codefendant host driver was negligent for failing to keep a proper lookout and take proper evasive action. The defendant company was accused of liability under the *Respondeat Superior* doctrine, as its employee was allegedly acting within the course and scope of employment. All defendants denied negligence and assigned blame to others, with the defendant company specifically disputing the employee's work-related status at the time of the crash.

A jury ultimately found the codefendant host driver was not negligent. However, the jury determined that the defendant driver and the defendant company were negligent, concluding that the driver was performing an errand for the company during the collision. The jury awarded $20,000,000 to each of the decedent's four children and $40,000,000 to the decedent's wife, resulting in a total verdict of $120,000,000.