Texas Supreme Court Overturns $100 Million Verdict Against Werner Enterprises

In a decision with potential implications for motor carrier liability, the Texas Supreme Court has reversed a $100 million jury award against Werner Enterprises and one of its drivers. The ruling ends a years long legal battle over a 2014 fatal crash that sparked one of the largest nuclear verdicts in state history.

Background: 2014 Crash and Jury Award

The case arose from a deadly winter-weather collision near Odessa, Texas. A pickup truck lost control on an icy Interstate 20, crossed a 42-foot median, and struck a Werner 18-wheeler traveling in the opposite direction. The crash killed a child, paralyzed another, and caused severe injuries to two others in the pickup.

• In 2018, a Houston jury found Werner Enterprises and driver Shiraz Ali largely liable for the crash, assigning:
  • 70% responsibility to Werner (excluding Ali),
  • 14% to Ali himself, and
  • 16% to the pickup’s driver.
• The jury awarded more than $100 million in damages, including:
  • $68 million for Brianna Blake, a child left quadriplegic,
  • $16.5 million to Jennifer Blake, and
  • $5 million to Nathan Blake, among others.

Werner appealed the verdict in 2018, citing multiple legal and evidentiary issues.

Supreme Court Reverses: No Proximate Cause

On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court unanimously overturned the lower court’s judgment, concluding that Werner’s truck and driver did not proximately cause the injuries.

Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock wrote:

“This awful accident happened because an out-of-control vehicle suddenly skidded across a wide median and struck the defendant’s truck, before he had time to react… That singular and robustly explanatory fact fully explains why the accident happened.”

The ruling emphasized that while the Werner truck’s presence on the road and speed (below the limit but deemed unsafe by plaintiffs) may have been conditions for the crash, they were not substantial factors in causing it.

Legal Clarification: Defining Proximate Cause

The Court’s legal analysis drew a firm line between:

• “But-for” causation: the idea that the crash wouldn’t have happened without the truck being there; and
• “Substantial factor” causation: the stricter legal standard requiring the defendant’s actions to play a significant role in causing the harm.

The Court found that only the pickup’s loss of control and sudden median crossing met that higher threshold.

Industry Implications

The decision could have wide-reaching consequences for trucking companies, particularly in lawsuits involving:

• Third-party actions like loss-of-control incidents by non-commercial vehicles,
• Winter weather or extreme conditions
• Allegations of unsafe driving despite adherence to posted speed limits.

By reaffirming the legal barrier for proximate cause, the Texas Supreme Court has provided clearer protection for carriers against liability in incidents where their involvement is secondary or reactive.

Source: FreightWaves