Three-Defendant Car Crash Jury Verdict for Krystal Buford in Harris County

In 2021, Krystal Buford was injured in a motor vehicle collision in Harris County, Texas, involving three separate defendants: John Tom Smith, Tammy Rene Bear, and Kristy Kittinger. The circumstances placed Buford at the center of a complex, multi-party crash, requiring her attorneys to build a liability case against each defendant individually.

The case was filed as cause number 2021-24125 in Harris County District Court. Over roughly three years, the parties engaged in discovery and pretrial proceedings before the matter was set for jury trial before Judge Beau Miller.

On March 20, 2024, Daragh Carter of Smith and Hassler tried the case on Buford's behalf. The defense was represented by Tanner Chase Luna of Martinez, Dieterich and Zarcone Legal Group. Carter had to establish not only that the defendants caused the collision but that Buford's injuries were a direct consequence of their conduct, across three named at-fault parties.

The Harris County jury returned a verdict in favor of Buford totaling $115,234. The result was reported in the Texas Jury Verdict Review and Analysis and ranked No. 84 on TopVerdict's list of the Top 100 Personal Injury Verdicts in Texas for 2024.