Verdictly
Verdict-Plaintiff
Dallas County • 2016

Dallas Jury Awards $15,824 in Parking Lot Rear-End Collision

One driver was operating a car in a parking lot when it was struck by a tractor-trailer. The car driver claimed back and neck injuries. The driver of the tractor-trailer stated the car driver backed into him. Medical treatment included chiropractic visits, an MRI, and steroid injections. The defense argued the accident was too low-speed to cause significant injury.

Case Information Updated: October 2025

Back to cases
Back Strain / Soft Tissue
Truck/Commercial
Back and Neck

Case Outcome

Outcome
Verdict-Plaintiff
Amount
$15,824
County
Dallas County, TX
Resolved
2016

Injury & Accident Details

Injury Type
Back Strain / Soft Tissue
Accident Type
Truck/Commercial
Case Type
Back and Neck, Chiropractic, Epidural Injections

Case Overview

A collision occurred on June 22, 2012, in a Dallas parking lot near John West Road and La Prada Drive. A sedan, operated by the plaintiff, and the rear of a tractor-trailer, operated by the defendant, collided. The plaintiff claimed to have been parked at the time of the incident and sustained back and neck injuries.

The plaintiff sued the defendant, alleging negligence for backing into her, failing to keep a proper lookout, and failing to brake to avoid the accident. The defendant denied negligence, stating in a deposition that the plaintiff was not parked and had backed into the tractor-trailer while the defendant was maneuvering to exit the lot. The plaintiff sought $13,324 for past medical bills and additional damages for past and future physical pain and suffering, physical impairment, and mental anguish, citing injuries including cervical and thoracic disc displacement, radiculopathy, and facet syndrome. Her treatment included chiropractic care, an MRI, and epidural steroid injections.

A defense expert, a chiropractor and accident reconstructionist, testified that the low-speed impact, estimated at 1 to 2 mph, was below the 5 to 6 mph threshold typically required to cause significant injury. The expert also argued that much of the plaintiff's medical treatment, including passive modalities beyond the acute phase, the MRI, and subsequent specialist consultations and injections, was medically unnecessary or related to pre-existing degenerative conditions.

After a two-day trial, a six-member jury found the defendant negligent. The jury awarded the plaintiff $15,824. The award included $13,324 for past medical costs, $1,500 for past physical pain and suffering, and $1,000 for past mental anguish.

VerdictlyTM Score

62
/100
Reasonably Fair

This outcome is within expected ranges

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