$37.5 Million Verdict for the Family of Trucker Shamsher Singh, Killed by a Distracted Oncor Driver

On August 7, 2021, Shamsher Singh pulled his 18-wheeler onto the shoulder of Interstate 635 in Dallas after dropping off a load of California strawberries. He stepped out to check the rig, standing on the passenger side in the narrow space between the trailer and a concrete retaining wall. He had been outside the truck for less than a minute.

An Oncor Electric Delivery service truck, a Ford F-550 driven by company lineman Joseph Pederson, came up the same stretch of highway and slammed into the back of the stopped 18-wheeler. The force drove the trailer forward and pinned Singh between one of its tires and the wall. He was pronounced dead at the scene. He left behind his wife, Baldish Kaur, and three children.

Zehl & Associates, working with co-counsel Michael Lyons of Lyons & Simmons, sued Oncor and Pederson in the 160th Civil District Court of Dallas County (Baldish Kaur, et al. v. Oncor Electric Delivery Company NTU LLC, et al., case number DC-21-12096). The plaintiffs' central question was why Pederson never reacted. Trial attorneys Ryan Zehl, Matt Greenberg, and Mike Streich presented video and vehicle data showing that the F-550 did not brake, slow down, swerve, or change lanes in the seconds before impact. They also pointed to records indicating that Pederson's cell phone had an active data session at the moment of the crash. Pederson denied using his phone.

After roughly eight hours of deliberation spread over two days in April 2024, the jury assigned 84 percent of the fault to Pederson and 16 percent to Singh. It returned damages that the plaintiffs' lawyers totaled at $37.5 million. Oncor disputed that calculation, characterizing the award as above $30 million, and the company declined to say whether it would appeal.

Asked about the result, Oncor said in a statement, "This was a tragic and heartbreaking accident. Our sympathies remain with Mr. Singh's family and their loved ones." ALM's VerdictSearch later listed the case among the top Texas verdicts of 2024, and no reduction of the $37.5 million figure has been reported.