Texas Jury Awards $44M to Family of Man Killed in Semi Crash
A Dallas County jury awarded $44.1 million to the family of Christopher Ray Vardy, 49, who was killed in a crash on I-35 during the February 2021 winter ice storm that led to a massive, multi-vehicle pileup in Fort Worth.
According to the information provided, Vardy was in his car when it was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. The jury found the trucking company New Prime Inc. and its driver liable for the fatal crash. The case is described as the first fatality lawsuit from that pileup to go to trial.
The jury also found that New Prime Inc. did not provide adequate training for winter weather driving. For working drivers, that finding matters because it puts a spotlight on what fleets expect drivers to do in extreme conditions, and what training and preparation are in place before trucks are sent out onto icy interstates.
Documents referenced in the lawsuit describe the severity of the impact. They state that first responders reported they had never seen a vehicle damaged as extensively as Vardy’s. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner confirmed that his injuries were survivable, and that he was conscious for a period of pain and suffering after the crash.
The verdict is part of a broader pattern seen in recent years: when crashes involve commercial vehicles and questions about safety practices, training, and decision-making in hazardous conditions, juries can award large damages. For drivers, these cases often influence how winter operations are trained, supervised, and documented—especially around go/no-go decisions and the expectations placed on the seat during bad weather.