Werner settles lawsuit over fatal 2020 Texas crash for $150 million, denies any wrongdoing

Werner Enterprises recently announced that the company has opted to settle a lawsuit that was filed following a crash that left two children dead.

On Thursday, July 28, Werner announced a $150 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit filed by the parents of two children who were killed in a crash in Texas in 2020. The settlement will be paid out by both Werner and insurance companies.

“In May 2020, a passenger vehicle traveling on Interstate 30 near Sulphur Springs, Texas, stopped in the travel lane of the highway at approximately 5:00 a.m. Three adults walked away from the vehicle, leaving two children inside. Shortly thereafter, a Werner truck (traveling below the speed limit) struck the parked vehicle. The two children tragically died in the resulting collision,” Werner said in a press release.

Werner added that police assigned no fault to the truck driver or Werner, and that one of the adults from the passenger vehicle had been criminally charged for the death of the children.

Werner said they opted not to name the individuals involved in the case out of respect for the loss of the family.

“The circumstances of this tragic accident were set in motion by the decision to park a vehicle on a highway in the lane of travel, as indicated in the investigating officer’s report,” said Werner’s Chief Legal Officer Nathan Meisgeier. “Nonetheless, corporate defendants are facing ‘nuclear verdicts’ in courtrooms across the country, including in Texas. Werner believes it prudent to resolve this case, to bring closure for the family affected by this tragic accident and to protect Werner, its employees, and its shareholders. Our sincere prayers and condolences remain with the family.”