Houston, Texas- Owner and Founder, Sam A. Maida, Jr. and Senior Associate Attorney Gabriel de Vega of Maida Law Firm secured a full policy limits $2,000,000 settlement for an oilfield field service technician injured by a commercial truck on a Reeves County, Texas highway accident that happened near Pecos, Texas in West Texas .
Our client was driving on US 285, a two-lane highway in Reeves County, just before sunset. According to the claims in the case, the driver of a large commercial truck heading towards a nearby job site was pulling a 40-foot trailer while traveling at an uncontrolled high speed and recklessly tried to pass him when unsafe. To avoid a head on collision, the driver of the commercial truck veered back into the original lane that our client was traveling in and sideswiped our client’s truck.
What Made the Case Unique
This case had multiple corporate defendants. The driver worked for both a tank rental company and an oilfield services company. The driver and both corporate defendants denied liability. We deposed the driver, his passenger, the tank rental company’s health, safety, and environment director and the services company’s two owners. During their deposition testimony, we established our claims that neither company:
- properly vetted, trained, or supervised the driver
- investigated his background
- followed applicable state and federal regulations
Our client’s injuries also developed over time. He first sought treatment about two weeks after the crash, rating his neck pain at 3/10. He tried to return to work but lasted less than a week. His condition worsened:
- Imaging: MRIs showed disc herniations at C4–C5 and C6–C7.
- Nerve testing: confirmed cervical radiculopathy.
- Treatment: after an epidural steroid injection failed, he underwent a two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at C4–C5 and C6–C7
His surgeon placed him on a permanent 40-pound lifting restriction and advised against returning to his former job. He went on long-term disability. The disability insurer’s own peer reviewer found him functionally impaired.
Liability and Legal Strategy
We filed suit in Reeves County district court against the driver, both companies, and the services company’s owners. We retained a trucking and fleet safety expert, a vocational rehabilitation expert, and an economist. We then served a global settlement demand on all defendants.
Client Outcome
The case resolved for full available policy limits of $2,000,000.
Injured by an oilfield truck in West Texas? 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.