Recently, a Brazos County District Court jury awarded $17 million to a motorcyclist who sustained serious injuries when he was forced off the road by a U-Haul employee driving a moving truck with a trailer in tow.
Nearly three years ago, Steven Summers Jr. was driving his Harley-Davidson motorcycle on Highway 6 in College Station when a 21-year-old U-Haul employee abruptly moved into Summers’ lane of travel, running him off the road where he was ejected from his motorcycle. Summers filed a lawsuit against U-Haul Co. of Texas and the driver of the U-Haul, who was later removed from the lawsuit. As a result of the accident, Summers sustained a brain injury, but has since been able to return to work on a part-time basis and attend school with special accommodations. According to the lawsuit, the U-Haul employee was a new, untrained employee who was following his supervisor and other employees who were traveling ahead of him in another vehicle. After losing sight of his supervisor, the driver attempted to regain sight of them by moving into Summers’ lane.
After an eight day trial and less than a day of deliberations, the jury reached a unanimous verdict and determined that U-Haul Co. of Texas was liable for Summers’ injuries due to its employee’s negligence. Although the jury found that such negligence was a proximate cause of Summers’ injuries, the jury found that it did not rise to the level of gross negligence. The jury awarded Summers $5 million for past and future pain and mental anguish, and $12 million for past and future physical impairment.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a motorcycle crash, contact an experienced attorney at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner by calling (713) 222-7211 or toll free at 713-222-7211.