| Motor Vehicle
The family of a woman who was fatally crushed when a piece of equipment fell off of a tractor-trailer received a $16 million settlement in a Johnson County district court.
On Sept. 11, 2008, Rhonda Henson was driving on F.M. 157 in Venus. Ahead of her, Daniel Armstrong, an employee of Pioneer Drilling Services Ltd., was hauling oil field equipment in a tractor-trailer. Henson's family claimed the equipment was not properly secured, causing it to fall onto Henson's car, crushing it.
Henson, a married mother of three, was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to alleging the defendants failed to secure the load, Henson's family also alleged Armstrong wasn't legally qualified to drive the tractor-trailer and accused Pioneer of falsifying his qualification documents.
Pioneer blamed the incident on a defect in the road, but the company and its insurance carriers ultimately agreed to the settlement.
Parties reached the agreement on July 9.
Henson, et al. v. Pioneer Drilling Co., et al., No. C200800525
Court: 413th District Court, Johnson County
Plaintiffs' Attorneys: Dan M. Boulware and John R. MacLean, MacLean & Boulware, Cleburne; John David Hart, Law Offices of John David Hart, Fort Worth
Defense Attorneys: Darrell L. Barger and Larry D. Grayson, Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern, Corpus Christi; Chris Cooke, The Cooke Law Firm, Cleburne; Karl W. Koen, Grau Koen, Dallas; Reagan W. Simpson, King & Spalding, Austin
The verdicts and settlements above are reported and written by VerdictSearch Texas. Additional verdicts can be found in VerdictSearch Texas or at VerdictSearch.com, affiliates of Texas Lawyer.
