Family of man killed in deadly 2021 I-35 pileup during winter storm awarded $44M
DALLAS COUNTY, Texas - A Dallas County jury decided a Missouri trucking company and one of its drivers were liable for a deadly crash on Interstate 35 during the 2021 winter storm that killed a 49-year-old man.
The jury awarded the family of Christopher Vardy $44.1 million after they determined a driver from New Prime Inc. did not receive adequate winter weather driving training. The crash was one of 130 accidents that happened on the southbound TEXpress section of the highway on Feb. 11, 2021.
The jury awarded Vardy's family $24.1 million in compensatory damages and $20 million in punitive damages for gross negligence.
Attorneys representing the Vardy family said the tractor-trailer driven by Steven Ridder was traveling at an excessive speed for conditions when it hit the vehicle driven by Vardy, which was stopped because of other accidents.
What they're saying:
"Trucking companies have the obligation to make sure their big rigs are being operated safely, which means taking extra precautions during extreme weather conditions, given the enormous size and weight of these vehicles," attorney Frank Branson said. "The attention paid by this jury to the evidence during trial and deliberations and their resulting verdict gives the Vardy family a measure of comfort and sense of justice in their tragic loss."
6 killed, dozens injured in 2021 winter storm pileup
Vardy was one of six people killed on Feb. 11, 2021, when 135 vehicles were involved in a massive ice-related wreck on I-35W. Dozens of others were injured in the crash.
The pileup appeared to have started about 6:15 a.m. as motorists ventured onto slick roads coated in a thin sheet of ice from freezing rain that had fallen overnight and into the early morning hours.
Victims identified, survivors recall terrifying scene as cars piled up in Fort Worth
More details are being released about the victims of the chain-reaction crash in Fort Worth Thursday and the survivors who had to wait for hours to be rescued.
Multiple cell phone videos show cars traveling at a high rate of speed, then sliding and crashing into each other. Multiple 18-wheelers were involved in the pileup and crashed violently into other passenger vehicles.
First responders had to methodically work to reach the incident scene and then work car to car checking on the condition of people inside. Several people had to be extricated, and sanding trucks were brought in to assist with the removal of vehicles.
Court documents from the Vardy trial stated first responders said they had never seen a vehicle damaged as badly as Vardy's.
Federal investigators found the company responsible for maintaining I-35W in Fort Worth failed to properly "monitor and address icy roadway conditions" ahead of the deadly pileup during the Texas Winter Storm in 2021.
According to a report by the National Safety Transportation Board, North Tarrant Express Mobility Partners Segment 3 (NTEMP S3), which is the company responsible for maintaining I-35W, pretreated the elevated portion of road where the crash happened 44 hours beforehand with a "liquid brine solution."
NTSB found speeding drivers also led to the deadly crash.
Investigators found road sensors detected average speeds above 100 miles per hour in the left lane of the interstate. The speed limit there is 75.
2021 Winter Storm
The 2021 snowstorm was one of the most dangerous weather events in Texas history, causing 246 deaths and leaving millions without power for days.
Nearly two-thirds of those deaths were from extreme exposure to cold.
The storm's deadly aftermath was caused by the failure of ERCOT power grids, leaving millions without electricity, according to NWS. Federal energy regulators blamed frozen equipment at power plants and natural gas facilities for the outages.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reports more than 4.5 million people in Texas lost power – some for as long as four days.
While demand hit record levels, supply of power fell. At one point, nearly 50% of power generation was knocked offline.
Frozen precipitation knocked out wind turbines. The largest chunk of power generation knocked out was from generators that use natural gas, many because they couldn’t get the gas they needed due to freezing temperatures.
The Source: Information in this article comes from a release from the Law Offices of Frank L. Branson. Information about the Feb. 11, 2021, crash and 2021 winter storm comes from previous FOX 4 reporting.