Texas Jury Awards $24M to Woman Hit by Driver on Phone

A Texas jury has awarded $24 million to a woman who was hit by a Coca-Cola truck driver who was chatting on a cellphone while driving.

The jury decided Friday that 37-year-old Vanice Chatman-Wilson should get $10 million in punitive damages and $14 million in actual damage for the 2010 accident that left her with severe neck and back pain.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports Coca-Cola plans to appeal.

Wilson’s attorney Thomas J. Henry says his client underwent lumbar surgery after the accident.

Coca-Cola’s policy says drivers must use a hands-free device if using a cell phone while driving.

Truck driver Vanessa Cabral testified that if she had known the risks of talking on the phone while driving she would not have done it.