Case at a glance
- Recovery: Confidential Settlement
- Injury: Shoulder injury requiring surgery
- Practice: Commercial vehicle crashes
- Attorney: Vuk Vujasinovic
A side-impact crash at a Houston intersection
On November 21, 2024, Cheryl was driving a Jeep Renegade westbound on Pease Street toward Emancipation Avenue. Her traffic light was green.
The other driver approached from the north in a Kia Soul. He entered the intersection against a red light, and the front of his vehicle struck the right side of Cheryl’s Jeep. Her vehicle continued west and overturned, coming to rest on its roof.
The investigating officer recorded that Cheryl was wearing her seat belt and that a side-curtain airbag deployed. According to the police report, the other driver acknowledged that he ran the red light and could not stop in time.
Reconstructing the collision, not just accepting a fault argument
The VB Attorneys team retained accident-reconstruction expert Andrew Irwin to examine how the collision happened. His work included a scene inspection, vehicle-damage photographs, the police report and an analysis of the vehicles’ movements.
Irwin examined whether the traffic signals were visible as each driver approached. He also reviewed the weather and the sun’s position. He concluded that the signals could be seen far enough away for a reasonably attentive driver to stop, that weather did not contribute to the crash and that the sun was not positioned to cause glare for either driver.
The sequence of the vehicles entering the intersection mattered. Irwin’s analysis placed Cheryl’s Jeep in the intersection first, whether she had approached at a steady speed or started from a stop. His analysis did not support a conclusion that she failed to look out for her own safety.
That work gave the case more than competing descriptions of a collision. It connected the signal evidence, the damage and the vehicles’ movements to explain why Cheryl was struck while traveling through the intersection.
Shoulder surgery after the rollover
For Cheryl, the consequences extended beyond the overturned Jeep. Her injury treatment included arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The claim addressed the injuries and treatment resulting from the collision.
A confidential resolution
The case went to mediation with Mike Miller. The parties later resolved it through a mediator’s proposal, resulting in a confidential settlement.
Vuk and the VB Attorneys team pursued the case against both the individual driver and his employer, combining the reconstruction evidence with Cheryl’s medical claim. The settlement resolved the litigation arising from the crash.
Questions about the case
Related legal help
Learn about commercial vehicle crash claims, or read about another company-vehicle injury case.
To speak with Vuk Vujasinovic about injuries caused by a company driver, call 877-724-7800 for a free consultation.
Every case is different. Prior results depend on the facts of the individual case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.