Houston Jury Awards $6.7M for Brain Injury in Tractor-Trailer Crash
One driver alleged that a trailer extended into the roadway, causing a collision. The other driver claimed the first driver was speeding and not paying attention. The jury found both parties partially at fault.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $6,758,159
- County
- Harris County, TX
- Resolved
- 2015
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Head/Brain Injury
- Accident Type
- Rear-end
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence, Auto/Truck Collision
Case Overview
A jury in Houston, Texas, found both sides negligent in a vehicular collision that left a minor passenger with a serious brain injury. The incident occurred on October 22, 2013, on the northbound frontage road of Interstate 45 when a vehicle, operated by the plaintiff driver, struck the rear corner of a tractor-trailer. The defendant tractor-trailer operator, employed by the defendant company, had pulled into the company's storage lot, but a closed access gate prevented the trailer from fully clearing the travel lane, leaving it partially on the roadway.
The plaintiffs alleged that the defendant driver negligently operated the tractor-trailer, failed to place safety cones, and did not pull the vehicle off the roadway safely. They also claimed the defendant company was negligent in installing a gate that created a hazardous condition by not allowing vehicles to fully exit the travel lane. The plaintiffs maintained that the accident resulted in the male minor suffering an open skull fracture and a serious brain injury. The defendants denied negligence, asserting that the truck's warning lights were activated and that the plaintiff driver was speeding and failed to maintain a proper lookout.
Following a trial, the jury found the defendants 55% negligent and the plaintiff driver 45% negligent. The jury awarded the plaintiff $6,758,159 in damages. Motions for a final judgment were pending.
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