Beaumont Federal Jury Issues Defense Verdict in Truck Collision
One driver's truck became disabled on a feeder road to I-10. The driver pulled the truck onto the shoulder, but the left wheels remained in the roadway. A few moments later, another driver crashed into the disabled truck. The passenger in the second vehicle died from her injuries a month later. The surviving driver sued the trucking company, alleging the disabled truck blocked the roadway and lacked proper warnings. The defense argued the accident happened shortly after the truck became disabled and that the plaintiff failed to keep a proper lookout. A jury returned a defense verdict.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Defense
- Amount
- Undisclosed
- County
- Dallas County, TX
- Resolved
- 2017
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Wrongful Death
- Accident Type
- Truck/Commercial
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Case Overview
On February 19, 2016, a tractor-flatbed trailer operated by an employee of a transportation company became disabled on a feeder road to I-10 in Orange, Texas, due to a fuel injector failure. The truck driver pulled the right wheels onto the grassy shoulder, but the left wheels remained in the roadway. The driver activated the truck's flashers. Moments later, a sport utility vehicle, driven by the plaintiff, collided with the disabled truck. The driver suffered significant injuries, and the passenger, also a plaintiff in the case, sustained severe injuries that proved fatal a month later.
The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the transportation company, alleging negligence by its employee for blocking the roadway. They argued that the truck driver should have deployed warning triangles or other methods to alert oncoming motorists, and sought both compensatory and punitive damages.
The defendant transportation company countered that the accident occurred shortly after the truck became disabled, which limited the time available to deploy further warnings. The defense also asserted that the driver of the SUV failed to maintain a proper lookout. A federal jury in Beaumont considered the case and returned a defense verdict, resulting in no recovery for the plaintiffs. A consistent judgment was subsequently entered.
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