Couple awarded record $29 million verdict
San Jacinto Newstimes - November 2007

COLDSPRING – A record verdict of $29 million for a Spring couple severely injured in an auto crash was won Thursday in District Judge Robert Hill Trapp’s 411th Judicial Court, Coldspring.
Prosecuted by Terry Bryant Law Firm of Houston, the verdict is the largest ever given in San Jacinto County.
Recipients of the award are Kent and Tamara Peterson, both of whom suffered serious injuries from the crash near Brenham last year. Tamara Peterson had a massive stroke a few days after the wreck and how suffers severe cognitive problems and the permanent loss of the use of her left side. She will require lifelong care.
On behalf of the Petersons, Bryant sued the driver of the pickup truck who hit them, Gary Wayne Gibbs, and his employer, Universal Cable Holdings, for whom he was working at the time of the accident.
“We are gratified to be able to win this decision for the Petersons,” said Bryant. “They face massive bills for their medical care in the future. No amount of money can restore them to their previous lives but at least now they know they will be able to get the care they need.”
Kent Peterson said he was overjoyed at the jury’s decision.
The crash occurred March 28, 2006 on Highway 105 near Brenham when the Petersons were returning home from a weekend outing. Gibbs’ pickup truck crossed the center line of the highway and hit the Petersons’ Saturn. Both Petersons had multiple serious fractures. Kent Peterson had to have his wrist fused. He is unable to return to his job as an airline mechanic because of that injury. Tamara Peterson’s stroke has left her institutionalized for nearly the entire time since the crash.
Bryant sued Gibbs and Universal Cable Holdings in San Jacinto County, where Gibbs lived at the time. The trial took four days.