Survivor of Greyhound Bus Crash Awarded $7.2 Million by Texas Jury, According to Fitts Zehl LLP

HOUSTON, Dec. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- A 24-year-old Colorado woman who was injured in an early morning, roll-over crash on a Greyhound bus in rural Texas in December 2007 has been awarded $7.2 million by a Dallas jury, her attorneys at Fitts Zehl LLP said today.

Bus passenger Ashley Reedy alleged the Greyhound driver was using a cell phone while driving in icy conditions on Interstate 40 in Wheeler County, Texas. The driver braked improperly as he approached a wreck on the highway and lost control of the bus, according to trial testimony. The bus rolled over, injuring Reedy's head, neck and back.

Houston-based Fitts Zehl LLP attorneys Ryan Zehl and Kevin Haynes represented Reedy in the three-week bus accident trial.

Fitts Zehl LLP partner Ryan Zehl stated, "The verdict will enable Ashley to have lower-back surgery next month for injuries received in the crash. We hope it sends the message that companies like Greyhound will be held responsible for any injuries they cause. In this case, we alleged that Greyhound hired an unqualified driver, that he was improperly trained, and that he ultimately failed to control his speed, which caused the bus to flip over."

Zehl presented evidence that the bus driver received three speeding convictions shortly before Greyhound hired him and had used his cell phone 17 times in the three hours before the accident. Jurors awarded Reedy $2.2 million in damages and $4.8 million in punitive damages, after finding that Greyhound and its drivers were grossly negligent in the accident.

The case is Ashley Reedy v. Greyhound Lines Inc. and Rashad Armand Nichols, DC-09-09239-L in the 193rd District Court of Dallas County, Texas.

About Fitts Zehl LLP

The personal injury attorneys at Fitts Zehl represent clients throughout the nation who have been seriously injured in truck, offshore, and bus accidents and by defective drugs and products. The firm has successfully resolved or earned verdicts in hundreds of injury cases during the past three years, recovering more than $150 million for their clients. For more information about the firm's practice areas, please go to www.fittszehl.com or email the firm.

Contact: Ryan Zehl, Fitts Zehl LLP, Galleria Tower I, 2700 Post Oak Blvd., Suite 1120, Houston, Texas 77056, 800.993.4887.

SOURCE Fitts Zehl LLP