A Texas jury has rendered a defense verdict in a case brought by a pedestrian who alleged that she was struck by a vehicle while in a crosswalk.
Facts and Allegations
Cira Lewis asserted that she was struck by a motor vehicle while she was in a Fort Worth crosswalk. Alleging that the vehicle's driver, Vallery Lawhorn, failed to yield the right of way, Ms. Lewis sued Ms. Lawhorn for negligence.
For her part, Ms. Lawhorn claimed that Ms. Lewis was not in a crosswalk and that she was standing on the roadway's center line. She also claimed that the incident occurred during rain and darkness and that she was not able to see Ms. Lewis until the moment of impact.
A responding police officer's report noted that Ms. Lewis was wearing dark clothing.
Ms. Lawhorn contended that she could not have avoided the accident.
Result
The jury rendered a defense verdict. It found that Ms. Lewis was 70 percent liable for the accident.
The case is Lewis v. Lawhorn, No. 16-2815-3 (Tex. County Ct. Tarrant Co. June 3, 2019). Attorneys involved include: Whitney E. Morgan; Law Office of Whitney E. Morgan; for Cira R. Lewis; Tracy H. Ramos; Law Office of Tiffany A. Liber; Dallas, TX for Vallery M. Lawhorn.
Insurance Coverage Law Center Comment
This report is based on information that was provided by defense counsel. Plaintiff's counsel did not respond to the reporter's phone calls.
See the full detailed report from our ALM partner, VerdictSearch.com.
Steven A. Meyerowitz
Steven A. Meyerowitz, a Harvard Law School graduate, is the founder and president of Meyerowitz Communications Inc., a law firm marketing communications consulting company. He may be contacted at [email protected].