SAN ANTONIO, TX (November 21, 2017) – A unanimous San Antonio jury sent a message to Texas and the entire country today in delivering a $45.3 million verdict in a company vehicle crash involving the use of cell phones while driving. The case, JENNY HENNES v. JC FODALE ENERGY SERVICES, LLC AND MICKEY HUNT, was tried in the 45^th District Court in Bexar County. Hon. Stephani Walsh presided.

Facts of the Texas Company Vehicle Accident Case

The case involved a collision between Mickey Hunt, an employee of JC Fodale Energy Services, LLC, a privately held oilfield services company, and 35-year-old Jenny Hennes. The accident occurred in 2015 when Thomas J. Henry’s client, Jenny Hennes, was travelling southbound on I-35 in San Antonio. Hennes was in stop-and-go traffic when she was rear-ended by Mickey Hunt’s SUV. Hennes’ vehicle was pushed off the road into the left-hand median. She suffered neck, back, and shoulder injuries as a result of the wreck.

Details of the Personal Injury Lawsuit

Mickey Hunt and JC Fodale denied responsibility for the crash; but, over the course of nearly three weeks of trial and after hearing from plaintiff’s cell phone experts and safety experts, the jury sided with Mrs. Hennes. The jury decided that the wreck was caused by a lack of safety management through the company’s corporate executives and by Mr. Hunt’s failure to drive carefully under the circumstances.

Hunt claimed this rear-end collision was caused by traffic slowing or stopping abruptly. Yet, it was revealed during the trial that the defendant driver was on his cell phone immediately before the collision and in the previous months before the wreck had been a “heavy user” of his cell phone while driving.

World renowned expert Ben Levitan, a holder of 29 patents on cell phone technology, was hired by Thomas J. Henry to explain to the jury the use and misuse of the cell phone by the defendants.

The company had at least four different conflicting policies regarding the use of cell phones. It was discovered that the company had different rules for executives and non-executives regarding cell phone use while driving. The jury heard how executives in the company were allowed to use their cell phones while driving. Despite denials by Mr. Hunt and company, the jury decided that Mr. Hunt was a corporate executive.

It was determined that company executives were aware of studies showing that using a cell phone while driving, even hands free, was equivalent to driving while intoxicated at a level of .08 percent blood alcohol content. The company failed to share this vital and life-saving knowledge with their own employees and continued to allow executives to use their cell phones while driving.

Details of the Personal Injury Verdict

Jenny Hennes underwent neck surgery following the crash and the jury heard from her neurosurgeon that she would require future surgery on her neck and/or back as a result of the wreck. The jury also learned that Mrs. Hennes would require future shoulder surgery. Evidence was presented to the jury that Mrs. Hennes would have difficulty obtaining employment over the course of her life. The jury verdict was unanimous with the following findings as to negligence and gross negligence of the defendants and the following damages:

• Past and Future Physical Pain and Mental Anguish: $7,250,000
• Past and Future Loss of Earning Capacity: $1,100,000
• Past and Future Disfigurement: $300,000
• Past and Future Physical Impairment: $2,900,000
• Past and Future Medical Expenses: $1,265,000
• Punitive Damages: $32,500,000

Thomas J. Henry, the lead trial lawyer in the case, had an experienced trial team devoted to presenting the best possible case to the jury for Mrs. Hennes. Members of his senior trial team included Dale Hicks and Richard Hunnicutt.

Attorney Dale Hicks was quoted after this verdict as saying, “the crash will have lifelong consequences for Mrs. Hennes. This verdict confirms that a San Antonio jury understands the value of lost dignity and inability to work.”

Attorney Richard Hunnicutt added, “The jurors in San Antonio are concerned about safety on our roads and highways. They wanted to make sure their message was heard loud and clear— they will not tolerate an individual or company that allows their drivers to speed, use hands-free cell phones, or text while driving.”

Thomas J. Henry added, “This verdict exemplifies the hard work and dedication of all the lawyers who worked on this case. Most importantly it represents a jury’s understanding that safety is a vital component of our life. Companies that violate safety rules and cause injuries to people like Mrs. Hennes should be held responsible for the harm they inflict.”

About Thomas J. Henry

Thomas J. Henry is the largest personal injury law firm in Texas and handles cases nationwide. In 2017 alone, Thomas J. Henry made several multi-million dollar recoveries, including an $8.7 million verdict on behalf of a well-worker who was permanently injured when a fellow employee, who was severely fatigued and fell asleep at the wheel, caused a major auto accident. Thomas J. Henry’s attorneys were able to prove that the well operator, knowing the risks associated with fatigued driving, acted negligently in insisting the fatigued crewmembers transport themselves home after their 22-hour shift. In May of 2017, the firm secured a $9 million verdict on behalf of a client who suffered crushing hand injuries as the result of a workplace accident. This multi-million-dollar verdict helped solidify the firm’s place among the top workplace injury law firms in the country.  In July, the firm obtained an $11 million verdict on behalf of a client injured in a trucking accident. A portion of the verdict, totaling $3.6 million was awarded to his wife for loss of consortium.

Other recent verdicts and settlements include $25 million, $35 million, $30 million, and $67 million, for accidents involving commercial defendants.  The firm has demonstrated a consistent record of settlements and verdicts throughout Texas and the United States.

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Sep. 1, 2017) — Hurricane Harvey caused widespread devastation to the gulf region of Texas when it made landfall as a Category 4 Hurricane in August 2017. The eye of the storm made landfall near Rockport, Texas, approximately 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, leaving devastation in its wake. To aid in the long-term disaster relief and recovery effort, San Antonio attorney Thomas J. Henry established the Thomas J. Henry Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund. Thomas J. Henry will personally match every pledge made to this fund, up to $100,000.

All donations collected in the fund will go to the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, operated by the Coastal Bend Community Foundation, and will help the citizens of Aransas, Bee, Brooks, Duval, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, Live Oak, Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio counties.

How to Donate to the Thomas J. Henry Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund

Donations can be made to the fund using a credit or debit card through the crowdfunding site, Crowdrise. Contributors can either select a pre-designated donation amount (available in $25, $50, $100, $250, and $500) or enter a custom amount in the blank field below (contribution minimum is set at $10).

Once selected, donators can add their name and a message to their contribution or may select to submit their donation anonymously.

All donations will remain in the Coastal Bend to help local communities.

About Thomas J. Henry

Thomas J. Henry is the founder of one of the largest personal injury firms in the United States and has been representing injured victims nationwide for more than 25 years. Thomas J. Henry has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Houston and has garnered a reputation for obtaining record-breaking verdicts on behalf of clients involved in wrongful death, on the job injury, child injury, pharmaceutical litigation, product liability, catastrophic injury, and company vehicle accident cases.

Thomas J. Henry is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums and in 2013 was named a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” by the National Trial Lawyers and a “Top Birth Injury Advocate” by Parenting Magazine. In 2016, Thomas J. Henry was designated a Lifetime Charter Member of Rue Ratings’ “Best Attorneys of America.”

Outside of the courtroom, Thomas J. Henry has established himself as a philanthropist through his consistent and generous contributions to local and global communities.

Thomas J. Henry is a loyal contributor to a number of causes, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, and the Special Olympics. He is a regular sponsor of the Tony Parker Skills Clinic basketball camps which give deserving kids a chance to learn basketball skills from Spurs Point Guard Tony Parker. Every October, Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys hosts “Bark in the Park,” a community event that raises thousands of dollars for local pet charities. For the past 20 years, the Thomas J. Henry Turkey Giveaway has provided Thanksgiving turkeys to thousands of families in Texas, helping families in need, the sick, the poor, and the disabled have Thanksgiving dinner.

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SAN ANTONIO, TX (May 1, 2017) –Thomas J. Henry, a personal injury law firm, obtained a $9 million verdict in South Texas on behalf of a client who suffered a crushed hand as the result of a 2011 oil field accident.

The accident occurred in 2011 when Thomas J. Henry’s client, Michael Gilmore, was working for Unit Drilling Company at a drilling site near Dilley, Texas. Gilmore was riding, unrestrained, on the front a forklift when the forklift backed up over a cable, causing it to snap and bring an industrial-sized metal pulley down on Gilmore’s hand. The pulley caused a crushing hand injury, requiring reconstructing surgery, and resulted in Gilmore suffering from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Thomas J. Henry’s firm filed suit against the drilling company and other defendants for negligent supervision, negligent operation of a forklift, and gross negligence. Plaintiffs experts also alleged numerous OSHA violations.

Lead attorney Richard Hunnicutt, of Thomas J. Henry, tried the case in Nueces County. During the heated contest, the defense asked the jury to award a total of $50,000 for the injuries. Hunnicutt asked the jury to award between $4 million and $6 million.

After a three-week trial, the jury sided with the plaintiff and awarded Thomas J. Henry’s client $9 million in damages.

“Oilfields are dangerous enough as it is. Forklifts alone are deadly dangerous if not operated with care,” lead attorney Richard Hunnicutt stated. “This jury wanted to send a clear message to drilling companies to follow the safety rules.”

“This multi-million-dollar verdict is just another reason why we are one of top Workplace Injury firms in the country,” Thomas J. Henry stated. “Year after year we obtain some of the highest verdicts for injured workers in the United States. We are also the largest personal injury and wrongful death firm in Texas and one of the largest in the nation.”

Workplace injuries affect hundreds of thousands of Americans each year.  Thomas J. Henry handles a wide variety of workplace injuries stemming from refinery explosions, oil and gas extraction accidents, factory accidents, construction accidents, forklift accidents, crane accidents, maritime accidents and more.

In many of our workplace injury cases, the firm conducts in-depth accident investigations utilizing private sector experts including OSHA experts, accident reconstructionists, engineering experts, confined-space permit experts, and safety training experts to review findings from local and federal government-led investigation reports. This approach to case investigation and development ensures Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys’ clients obtain maximum recoveries for their injuries.

In the first quarter of this year alone, Thomas J. Henry made several multi-million dollar recoveries, including an $8.7 million verdict on behalf of a well-worker who was permanently injured when a fellow employee, who was severely fatigued and fell asleep at the wheel, caused a major auto accident. Thomas J. Henry’s attorneys were able to prove that the well operator, knowing the risks associated with fatigued driving, acted negligently in insisting the fatigued crewmembers transport themselves home after their 22-hour shift.

Other recent verdicts and settlements include $25 million, $35 million, $30 million, and $67 million, for accidents involving commercial defendants.  The firm has demonstrated a consistent record of settlements and verdicts throughout Texas and the United States. For more information, visit thomasjhenrylaw.com.

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