On January 17, 2019, Steve Kherkher, Cesar Tavares, and Kevin Haynes won a $6,500,000.00 verdict in the 96th District Court of Tarrant County, Texas, on behalf of their clients, Liliana “Lily” Valdez and Pedro “Pete” Galindo. Lily and Pete tragically lost their son, Zachary, on May 22, 2017, when an 18-wheeler tractor trailer hauling an oversized load of large utility poles through a busy Midland street made a reckless right turn, resulting in the poles striking Zachary’s passing truck. Zachary was killed almost instantly. He was only 21 years old and beloved by his family and friends.
Cesar Tavares spent a hard fought year-and-a-half proving the liability case against the truck driver and his construction company employer. The company was unwilling to accept responsibility and even blamed Zachary for causing the accident. Cesar established that the company failed to properly train the truck driver and the escort vehicle driver who trailed behind the 18 wheeler. He also demonstrated that the company failed to provide any of the proper flagging, lights, and other equipment required by the industry standards when transporting a dangerous, oversized load on a public road.
Due to these efforts, about one week before trial, the defendants strategically stipulated to liability, in an attempt to limit the damaging liability evidence the jury would hear. This strategy was successful in the short run, as the judge excluded all liability evidence and only permitted the jury to hear that this case involved a “motor vehicle incident.”
But the defendants’ strategy did not pay off in the long run. The plaintiffs were able to overcome this setback and tell a compelling story to the jury about how the loss of Zachary’s life devastated Lily and Pete. At trial, Steve Kherkher put on compelling testimony from Lily and Pete, as well as Zachary’s sister and grandmother. They told heartfelt stories of how Zachary, as a teenager, took care of Pete, who had suffered a major stroke that left him bedridden. The jury also heard Zachary’s family share how he loved to help people who were in need and never expected anything in return.
The jury awarded a total of $6,500,000 to Lily and Pete, all in mental anguish and loss of companionship damages. The verdict is one the largest in a personal injury case in Tarrant County in recent years. It is also believed to be among the largest non-economic damages awards ever to come out of a Tarrant County jury trial.
The trial lawyers at Williams Kherkher continue to achieve unmatched success in representing the victims of corporate wrongdoing. Contact Williams Kherkher today if those or their loved ones have been injured.
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For more information about Williams Kherkher, contact the company here:
Williams Kherkher
John Eddie Williams, Jr.
8441 Gulf Freeway #600 Houston, TX 77017
