The 22 Million Dollar Text – Student Liable for Deadly Texas Accident

Have you looked at your cell phone bill lately? Do you know how much you pay to be able to send and receive texts? What if the last text cost you $22 million? That is exactly what happened to a Texas A&M student who has been ordered to pay $21.825 million in damages following a deadly Texas wreck in November 2007.

A Robertson County jury found that Jason Reed Vestal was texting while driving causing a fatal car accident that claimed the life of Megan Small, 21, of Houston, who was a senior at Baylor University. Vestal’s truck collided with Small’s vehicle head-on while Small was traveling along Texas Highway 6 to Waco.

Amazingly, Vestal’s phone records indicated that he had sent and received 15 text messages and made seven calls in the 45 minutes prior to the fatal crash. Vestal indicated that he could not remember anything from the accident and that though, there were text messages sent and calls made during the drive, it was hard to prove that texting caused him to crash into Small.

The attorney for the victim described it as a landmark case. He indicated that the verdict was not about the money, but about the message it sent to other drivers who text and drive.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a Houston car accident caused by a distracted driver, you should call our office today at (713) 921-4171 or (800) 232-3711.