Jury awards $10 million to plaintiffs represented by Wham & Rogers of The Woodlands in a wrongful death suit

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- A San Jacinto County jury has recently awarded $10,000,000 to the plaintiffs represented by Wham & Rogers of The Woodlands in a wrongful death case.

Mark Wham and Ryan Wham of Wham & Rogers, PLLC, along with co-counsel Bennie Rush, represented the parents of Marley Chapla, a 21-year-old college student from The Woodlands who was killed in 2017 when an 18-wheeler attempted to cross US-59 and blocked Ms. Chapla’s lane in the process.

The plaintiffs alleged that the defendant, Curtis Adair, was responsible for the collision because he made an unsafe left across highway 59, blocking both southbound lanes. The defense argued that Marley Chapla was primarily responsible for her death because she was driving at an excess rate of speed.

On Monday, July 25, 2021, the jury found that the truck driver was 75% responsible for Ms. Chapla’s death and that Ms. Chapla was 25% responsible. The jury awarded damages totaling $10,000,000, with $9,000,000 going to the parents for past and future mental anguish and loss of companionship with their daughter, and $1,000,000 going to Ms. Chapla’s estate for mental anguish she suffered prior to her death.

Attorney Mark Wham said, “We believe the jury reached the right result. And we’re glad that the jury was able to provide some measure of justice for Marley and her parents.”

The personal injury and business litigation lawyers at Wham & Rogers, PLLC, possess over 60 years of combined legal experience and serve victims, families, and individuals in The Woodlands, Conroe, and Houston areas. In addition to Mark Wham and Ryan Wham, the firm’s team of attorneys includes Rene Rogers.

For more information about the firm, visit www.whamandrogers.com.