Our clients, a husband and wife, were traveling on State Highway 16 in McMullen County at 6:30 a.m. on May 15, 2012. An 18 wheeler making an early morning run to an Eagle-Ford shale gas well failed to keep a proper lookout, and ran a stop sign. Our client slammed on his brakes, but he was driving 70 mph and was unable to avoid crashing into the side of the truck. The wife’s side of the car suffered the brunt of the damage, resulting in a broken bones in her leg and wrist. She was hospitalized and underwent emergency surgery, where pins and rods were placed to stabilize her fractures.
We were hired two weeks after the crash and we immediately went to work investigating our clients’ case. We were able to prove that the truck driver was not in compliance with certain safety regulations that govern the trucking industry, namely the “hours of service” regulations aimed at preventing driver fatigue. Despite the fact that the trucking company, a small fly-by-night outfit from El Paso, later went bankrupt, we were able to obtain a $750,000 settlement for our clients. After a one-third legal fee and reimbursement of certain case costs, our clients’ net recovery was approximately $493,000. And all of this was accomplished in less than one year, far quicker than the average case.
