A New Mexico jury has awarded $47 million to a choose up truck driver and his mom in a lawsuit in opposition to Pilot Thomas Logistics LLC and Maxum Petroleum Working Firm stemming from a 2022 head-on collision involving a business tanker truck.
The decision adopted a jury trial within the First Judicial District Courtroom in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, involving Austin Drewry Jackson, who was 21 on the time of the crash, and his mom, Crystal Gayle Drewry.
The $47 million verdict is among the many largest reported trucking accident awards in New Mexico lately.
The New Mexico verdict follows a separate $104 million jury award in July in opposition to Mesilla Valley Transportation in a deadly truck crash lawsuit in Texas.
The award additionally comes amid rising considerations about so-called nuclear verdicts — jury awards exceeding $10 million — and their affect on trucking corporations’ insurance coverage prices and monetary stability.
In accordance with an Oct. 13 weblog publish from the plaintiffs’ attorneys at Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro P.C., the November 2022 crash occurred on a two-lane freeway close to Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The legislation agency alleged that the business tanker truck driver was touring too quick for climate situations and did not see or react to Drewry’s approaching automobile earlier than the head-on collision.
A 2025 American Transportation Analysis Institute research discovered that allegations of dashing and different pre-crash negligence can considerably enhance jury awards in opposition to trucking corporations.
Drewry suffered extreme traumatic mind accidents, together with in depth harm to his backbone, bones and inside organs, in line with the agency.
Drewry, a Louisiana native who joined the Louisiana Nationwide Guard at age 18 and served on two deployments, was engaged on an oil rig in New Mexico when the collision occurred. He had deliberate to return residence for Thanksgiving.
“The protection’s first pretrial supply of $100,000 didn’t come near acknowledging the hurt Austin suffered or the care he’ll want,” James Tawney, a companion at Tawney, Acosta & Chaparro, mentioned in an announcement.
Courtroom information reviewed by BigRig affirm that the lawsuit, Austin Drewry Jackson et al. v. Pilot Thomas Logistics LLC et al., was filed April 26, 2024, below Case No. D-117-CV-2024-00161.
The case was heard earlier than District Decide Francis J. Mathew. Jury choice started Oct. 5, and the courtroom docket lists a particular verdict type filed Oct. 13.
The courtroom additionally granted a movement Oct. 7 dismissing claims in opposition to truck driver Marcos Alejandro Romero in his particular person capability, with prejudice. The case proceeded in opposition to the company defendants.
The docket reveals that the defendants filed motions Oct. 9 difficult the plaintiffs’ claims involving punitive damages, direct negligence, proximate trigger and lack of consortium.
The publicly out there docket doesn’t specify how the $47 million verdict was allotted amongst damages classes or whether or not punitive damages had been included.
As of Oct. 19, the docket didn’t listing a individually entered closing judgment or discover of enchantment.
Why it issues: The New Mexico verdict highlights the doubtless monumental monetary publicity going through trucking corporations in damage lawsuits.
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