Family of man killed in Texas oilfield truck accident wins $281 million negligence lawsuit, verdict included $100 million in punitive damages

Family of man killed in Texas oilfield truck accident wins $281 million negligence lawsuit by The Associated Press, December 8, 2013, Daily Journal
CARRIZO SPRINGS, Texas — The family of a man killed by a part breaking off a truck doing Eagle Ford Shale oilfield work has won a $281 million lawsuit judgment from a South Texas jury.  The Dimmit County lawsuit stemmed from the May, 29, 2012, death of Carlos Aguilar. He was struck by a drive shaft from a tractor-trailer truck belonging to Heckmann Water Resources, an oil patch supplier in Pleasanton, near San Antonio. Aguilar was in a pickup hit by the flying piece that went through the windshield, killing him. A jury late Thursday agreed with a negligence lawsuit by Aguilar’s family that Heckmann didn’t properly maintain the truck. The verdict included $100 million in punitive damages.  [Emphasis added]