Irving Jury Awards Over $10.9M in Fatal Bus Accident Negligence
A charter bus carrying passengers to a casino lost control on a highway. The bus struck safety barriers, crossed multiple lanes, and hit the center concrete barrier before rolling over. Two passengers sustained fatal injuries. The estates and families of the deceased passengers sued the casino, alleging negligence and vicarious liability for the actions of the bus driver and tour coordinator. The lawsuit also named the bus driver and bus company, who settled before trial. The jury found the casino partially responsible for the accident.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Verdict-Plaintiff
- Amount
- $10,942,912
- County
- Dallas County, TX
- Resolved
- 2016
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Wrongful Death
- Accident Type
- Multi-vehicle
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Case Overview
On April 11, 2013, a charter bus carrying senior citizens from Bedford to a casino resort in Durant, Oklahoma, lost control on the George Bush Turnpike in Irving. The bus struck crash attenuators, crossed multiple lanes, hit a concrete barrier, and rolled over. Two passengers, an 83-year-old master seamstress and a 69-year-old retiree, sustained fatal injuries. The group tour coordinator also died in the incident.
The estates and families of the deceased passengers, along with an injured passenger, filed a lawsuit against the bus driver, the bus owner, and the casino. The plaintiffs alleged that the driver's negligence, including a failure to pay attention and loss of control, caused the accident. They also claimed the driver was distracted by the tour coordinator discussing routes and tolls, a discussion the investigating officer agreed contributed to the inattention. The bus driver and bus owner settled their claims before trial for undisclosed amounts. The case proceeded against the casino, with the injured passenger settling before trial as well.
Against the casino, the plaintiffs argued it was vicariously liable for the actions of the bus company, the driver, and the tour coordinator. They contended these parties were acting in furtherance of the casino's mission, subject to its control, or were its borrowed employees or ostensible agents, noting the casino derived substantial income from such trips. Plaintiffs also alleged the casino negligently retained the bus company and driver, highlighting the driver's history of multiple accidents, including a fatality, license suspension, and prior firings, which the casino allegedly failed to uncover through a background check. The casino denied negligence, asserting the driver and bus company were solely responsible and that no agency or employment relationship existed with the driver, bus company, or tour coordinator. The court denied the casino's pre-trial motions challenging vicarious liability.
After a two-week trial and four days of deliberation, a jury found that the bus company, driver, and tour coordinator were acting for the casino's benefit and under its control. The jury determined the driver was a borrowed employee of the casino and the tour coordinator was an ostensible agent of the casino. The jury assigned comparative responsibility: 58 percent to the driver, 25 percent to the casino, and 17 percent to the bus company. The jury did not find the casino negligently retained the bus company or driver. The jury awarded the plaintiffs over $10.9 million in damages. The casino had waived sovereign immunity up to the limits of its applicable insurance policies.
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