The family of a 24-year-old son who lost his life in an accident on a Texas Interstate has been awarded a compensation of almost $4 million. The accident occurred due to a truck driver breaking down in the middle of the road.
The court proceedings took almost three years to complete, even though the accident occurred in September 2021.
Robert Buntyn, a 24-year-old who worked at his family’s mortuary business, tragically lost his life in a car accident while driving home from work. The accident occurred on Interstate 635 near State Highway 121 when Buntyn collided with the back of a commercial vehicle that had come to a stop after hitting something on the road. The impact of the collision proved fatal, and Buntyn passed away as a result.
According to Buntyn family attorneys, 23-year-old Desiree Boyd, who was employed by Newkirk Logistics as a truck driver, neglected to signal to other drivers that she had stopped. She did not use any form of warning such as hazard lights, flares, or triangles, and did not pull over to the side of the road.
After careful consideration, the jury assigned 10% of the fault to Buntyn for the accident, while the remaining 90% was attributed to Newkirk Logistics and Boyd. The Boys family was granted $3.6 million in damages as a result of the verdict. However, the legal representatives for Boyd and Newkirk have stated their intention to challenge the ruling through an appeal process.
According to the Buntyn family, they were coerced into a trial by the legal representatives of Newkirk Logistics and Boyd.
Bryan Buntyn stated that they made six attempts to settle for the insurance policy amounting to $1 million. They did not want to subject everyone to a trial, but the other party declined the offer. Buntyn expressed his disbelief that the insurance company and their lawyers had seen the presented evidence and still chose to go to court. He found it incredible that they are now appealing the case.
According to Buntyn, it seemed like a challenge to take these companies to trial as they didn’t seem to care. He strongly believes that families should not have to go through a lengthy legal process just to hold someone accountable for their actions. It was never about the monetary compensation, but rather about seeking justice for what was done to his loved one.
