Houston, Texas- Owner and Founder, Sam A. Maida, Jr. and Senior Associate Attorney Gabriel de Vega of Maida Law Firm secured a $2,000,000 settlement for a tow truck driver whose career ended after he was hit at a four-way stop in Houston.
Our client came to a full stop at the four-way intersection of Crossview Drive and Pagewood Lane, then proceeded through it. A driver employed by a sign company failed to stop and yield. She struck our client’s truck so hard that it spun 180 degrees. The Houston police officer found her at fault and cited her for failure to yield at a stop sign.
What Made the Case Unique
Our client had earned a good living towing vehicles for years. After the crash he tried to keep working for several months, hoping he would improve, but he could no longer physically do the job.
MRIs showed disc herniations throughout his cervical spine contacting the spinal cord, along with herniations at L4–L5 and L5–S1. Epidural injections, trigger point injections, and medial branch blocks failed. He then underwent two surgeries:
- A two-level anterior cervical surgery at C3–C5.
- An L4–L5 anterior lumbar interbody fusion.
His neurosurgeon told him he would never be able to do manual labor again and warned he might need revision neck surgery. Out of financial necessity, he took a minimum-wage job as a busser, working outside his doctor’s restrictions.
Liability and Legal Strategy
We filed suit in Harris County district court against the driver’s employer. We retained:
- two independent vocational rehabilitation experts, who assessed his lost earning capacity
- an economist, who calculated his total economic loss at up to $2.07 million
We then served a time-limited Stowers demand. It required the primary insurer to tender its $1 million limit to the umbrella carrier, and the umbrella carrier to add its own $1 million policy.
Client Outcome
The case resolved for $2,000,000, the full combined primary and umbrella coverage identified in our demand.
Hurt by a company driver in Houston? Call Maida Law Firm at (713) 785-9484.
About the authors
Sam A. Maida, Jr.
Owner and Managing Attorney
Sam A. Maida, Jr. has represented injured Texans in the greater Houston area since the firm opened in 1993.
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Bernard G. Johnson III
Litigation Managing Attorney
Bernard G. Johnson III is a board certified trial lawyer licensed in Texas since 1996 and a graduate of South Texas College of Law.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.