White Oak, Texas Fatal Car Crash Settles for $5.5 Million

A multi-vehicle collision occurred on Highway 80 in White Oak, Texas, when a westbound pickup truck crossed the center line and struck an eastbound sedan. The collision resulted in fatal injuries for an adult passenger in the sedan, while the sedan's driver sustained a sternum fracture and lung contusions. A child passenger in the sedan received emergency medical attention but suffered no lasting injuries.

The injured driver, the decedent's estate, and the child's representative filed a lawsuit. They alleged the pickup truck's driver was negligent in failing to maintain control of the vehicle. Claims were also brought against the driver's employer, a car-detailing service, for negligent hiring and training, and against the vehicle's owner, a car dealership, along with its owners, for negligent entrustment of the vehicle. The defendants denied negligence. The dealership and its owners argued their entrustment of the vehicle to the driver had ended prior to the accident, contending that the detailing service was responsible for the vehicle's entrustment on the day of the crash.

The decedent sustained severe abdominal injuries, including small-bowel perforations, and died three days after the incident. The injured driver required hospital observation and subsequent chiropractic treatment. The plaintiffs sought damages for medical expenses, lost earnings for the decedent's estate, and wrongful death claims for loss of companionship and mental anguish.

The case concluded with a $5.5 million settlement after extensive discovery. The defendants tendered their policy limits in response to a Stowers demand, resulting in the total proceeds.