Titus County Jury Awards $189.75M in Fatal Trucking Negligence
A woman was driving north on a highway when she encountered a convoy of three southbound vehicles, including a tractor-trailer with a wide load and two pilot cars. The lead pilot car, driven by the wife of the tractor-trailer driver, entered the northbound lane and waved a flag, attempting to alert the oncoming driver. The oncoming driver swerved onto the shoulder and then back into the lane, colliding with the tractor-trailer's load. The impact caused a fatal head injury to the woman. The lawsuit alleged negligence in the operation of the vehicles and handling of the transport job. Most defendants settled before trial, and the case proceeded against one driver.
Case Information Updated: October 2025
Case Outcome
- Outcome
- Settlement
- Amount
- $730,000,000
- County
- Titus County, TX
- Resolved
- 2021
Injury & Accident Details
- Injury Type
- Head/Brain Injury
- Accident Type
- Truck/Commercial
- Case Type
- Motor Vehicle Negligence
Case Overview
On February 21, 2016, a 73-year-old driver of a sedan was fatally injured in a collision on U.S. Highway 271 in Titus County, north of Mount Pleasant, Texas. The incident occurred as the driver approached a blind curve leading to a narrow bridge. A southbound convoy, consisting of a wide-load tractor-trailer and two pilot cars, was traveling partly in the northbound lane due to the load's width and the bridge's narrowness. The lead pilot car driver, upon seeing the oncoming sedan, moved further into the northbound lane and attempted to signal the driver with a red flag. The sedan swerved, then re-entered the lane and collided with the wide load, sustaining massive head trauma.
The decedent's four adult children filed a lawsuit against the companies involved in the transport, the tractor-trailer driver, the lead pilot car driver, the trailing pilot car driver, and a passenger. They alleged negligence in the operation of the vehicles, improper handling of the job, and violations of industry standards, including a failure to hold a pre-trip meeting to discuss route hazards. They also claimed the convoy drivers constituted a joint enterprise.
Before trial, most defendants settled. The contracting company, the tractor-trailer owner, its driver, and a passenger settled for $50 million. The trailing pilot car driver settled for $1 million. The case proceeded to trial against the lead pilot car driver. Plaintiffs' counsel argued the lead pilot car driver violated industry standards by not maintaining proper distance, entering the oncoming lane, and using a flag from a moving vehicle. They contended these actions startled and distracted the decedent. Defense counsel for the lead pilot car driver denied negligence, suggesting greater responsibility lay with the tractor-trailer driver and the contracting company.
The jury found negligence and gross negligence by the lead pilot car driver, allocating 50 percent comparative responsibility to her, 30 percent to the tractor-trailer driver, and 20 percent to the contracting company. The jury found no negligence by the decedent that proximately caused the accident. The plaintiffs were awarded $730 million in compensatory and punitive damages. After applying settlement credits and a statutory cap on punitive damages, the expected recovery against the lead pilot car driver totaled $189,750,000.
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