Texas High Court Says Parade Crash Trial to be Heard in Midland

The Texas Supreme Court has ruled a negligence lawsuit stemming from the fatal collision of a train with a veterans’ parade float in Midland in 2012 should be heard in Midland County.

The Midland Reporter-Telegram reports the state’s highest civil court on Friday rejected a case that veterans and family members filed in Dallas. The railroad, Union Pacific, and the float provider, Smith Industries, wanted a trial in Midland because that’s where the crash occurred.

Four people were killed and 13 others hurt in the 2012 crash. A federal investigating panel blamed the city and parade organizers for the accident.

Two pretrial hearings are set for Midland in September. The trial itself is set for January.