Dallas Jury Awards $31,000 in Rear-End Collision, No Recovery
One driver was traveling north on a highway when another driver allegedly rear-ended him. A third vehicle then hit the second vehicle, and a fourth vehicle hit the third. The first driver claimed neck and back injuries. The case went to trial against one of the drivers, but the jury found that driver not negligent. The jury awarded some money for past medical bills, but the plaintiff received nothing due to prior settlements and insurance coverage.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Defense
- Amount
- Undisclosed
- County
- Dallas County, TX
- Resolved
- 2017
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Back Strain / Soft Tissue
- Accident Type
- Rear-end
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Case Overview
In October 2013, a four-vehicle chain-reaction collision occurred on Interstate 35 in Dallas, Texas. The plaintiff, a laborer, alleged he was rear-ended in the initial impact, leading to a series of subsequent collisions involving other vehicles. He reported neck and back injuries, including a herniated lumbar disc, and later claimed an inability to work. The plaintiff filed a lawsuit against three drivers for negligence and one vehicle owner for negligent entrustment, also adding an underinsured motorist claim against his own insurer.
Prior to trial, two defendants, including the driver the jury later deemed negligent, settled with the plaintiff for an undisclosed amount. The underinsured motorist claim was abated until after the trial, which proceeded against one remaining defendant driver. The plaintiff testified that the defendant driver rear-ended his vehicle first, initiating the multi-impact collision. The defendant driver denied negligence, contending that a fourth vehicle struck the car behind him, pushing it into his vehicle and then into the plaintiff's. Experts testified regarding the plaintiff's injuries, with the plaintiff's chiropractor attributing the injuries to the accident, while the defense's orthopedic surgeon opined that the impact was minor and most treatment was unrelated.
The jury found the settling defendant negligent but did not find the defendant driver at trial or another defendant driver negligent. The jury awarded the plaintiff $31,000 for past medical bills. However, because the jury found only a settling defendant negligent, the plaintiff received no recovery from the verdict. The court entered a take-nothing judgment, also disposing of the underinsured motorist claim after offsetting prior payments.
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