Jury Awards $21 million to Woman Struck by Coca Cola Truck in Distracted Driving Case

May 22, 2012

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – A jury in Corpus Christi, Texas, has awarded $21 million to Vanice Chatman-Wilson, 37, who was struck by a Coca Cola truck driver, Araceli Venessa Cabral, while she was talking on a cell phone at the time of the accident, according to Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys, which released a statement regarding the verdict.

The law firm described Coca Cola’s cell phone policy for its delivery drivers as “vague and ambiguous.” The firms also said the jury heard that “Coca Cola withheld this information from its employee driver.” In addition, the statement went on to say that during the trial, the truck driver said that if she had known of the risks associated with distracted driving, she would not have taken that action.

Coca Cola released a statement, according to MSNBC, after the trial that said its cell phone policy is “completely consistent with, and in fact, exceeds the requirements of Texas law,” that it disagrees with the jury’s verdict and plans to appeal.