$39M awarded in lawsuit after 2013 fatal crash

AMARILLO, TX (KFDA) - A jury has awarded an El Paso family $22 million in damages after a truck crash on I-40 in 2013 resulted in two deaths and multiple injuries west of Vega.

The Vasquez/Perales family was driving to Amarillo when they were involved in the accident.

According to court documents, Sarah Gregory, the driver of a tractor-trailer involved in the accident, was driving in hazardous weather conditions without a certified instructor. She applied her brakes on the ice and lost control of the vehicle, blocking the two eastbound lanes of I-40.

Court documents say she and her co-worker left the vehicle without activating emergency lights, road flares or reflective triangles.

The vehicle in the roadway then caused several more vehicles to crash, including the Vasquez/Perales family's van.

Another tractor-trailer then crashed into their van, resulting in the deaths of Belinda Vasquez and Hector Perales and caused significant injuries to several other family members.

The lawsuit was filed against Gregory and the trucking company which employed her, New Prime, Inc.

The jury awarded another family an additional $17 million for the death of a truck driver on the side of the road at the crash.

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