Jury Awards $22 Million in Damages to Family of Student Killed By a Driver Who Was Texting While Driving | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Megan Small (21) was killed in an automobile collision when the vehicle she driving was struck by another driver that was distracted because he was texting while driving. In addition, Laura Gleffe, another driver involved in the collision was also injured. Megan Small was killed while driving from her home in Houston back Baylor University. The wreck occurred on Highway 6 near Calvert, Texas when. Reed Vestal crossed the center line and hit Small head-on. Gleffe, Small’s lifelong best friend, was following behind her and was run off the road, causing her car to roll. Vestal initially denied having a phone when the wreck occurred, but phone records indicated that he had sent and received 15 text messages and made seven phone calls in the 45 minutes before the wreck, Craft said. In addition, evidence was presented at trial that Vestal has received multiple speeding tickets since receiving his license. “I think the jury understands it is a growing problem [eventhough] Vestal tried to say he didn’t know any better, and he didn’t know it was dangerous.”

Hunter Craft, a lawyer for Small’s family, said “This case isn’t about money,” Craft said of the Nov. 25, 2007 wreck. “This case is about sending a message to everybody and protecting people in the future, and in order for them to be able to accomplish that, we told them they were going to have to make a significant award.” Craft said the Small family’s intention was always to send a message about the dangers of texting while driving, not to collect damages.

A Texas A&M University student has been ordered to pay $22 million in damages after a Robertson County jury found that his texting while driving caused a car accident that killed a Baylor University senior biochemistry major.

Lawyers said the damages awarded to the family of Megan Small, who was 21 when she died, and Laura Gleffe, the driver of another car that was run off the road in the accident, may be the most a jury has handed out in Robertson County.

Approximately one in five drivers admit to texting while driving at least once in the last 30 days. The popularity of texting is unquestionable. About two-thirds of Texas teenagers surveyed said they have talked on a cell phone while driving in the past six months, according to the Transportation Institute. More than half said they had read or sent text messages while driving. A 2007 study said cell phone use was among the primary causes of fatal car crashes among teens. According to CTIA, the number of monthly texting messages reached 110 billion at the end of 2008, a more than 11-fold increase in three years. AAA is asking drivers to go to its website at www.aaafoundation.org/multimedia/headsup.cfm to learn more about its efforts to stop driving while texting.

The Montes Herald Law Group, L.L.P. is a law firm with offices in Irving and Dallas Texas. We are experienced and qualified attorneys who dedicate our practice to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents and other cases where people are severely injured through the negligence and reckless conduct of others all across the state of Texas including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Please visit our website at www.MontesHerald.com for more information concerning our law firm and lawyer Rachel Montes and Tom Herald. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (214) 522-9401 or email us at Rachel@MontesHerald.com or Thomas@MontesHerald.com for a free case evaluation.