You don’t have to be a lawyer to understand the decisions and verdicts that decide how Texas motorcycle accident claims are won and lost. Below are real, publicly reported Texas cases — what happened, what they established, and why each matters to someone with a claim today.
Texas motorcycle accident cases that shape your claim
Mendez v. Koozies Icehouse & GrillBexar County jury · 2025
$831 million — the largest verdict in San Antonio history
A motorcyclist was catastrophically injured by debris from a crash caused by a drunk driver with a 0.23% BAC who had been over-served at a bar. A jury put 90% of the fault on the bar and its owner and only 10% on the driver, awarding $300 million in punitive damages under the Texas Dram Shop Act.
Why it matters to your case: If a bar over-served the drunk driver who hurt you, the establishment can be sued alongside the driver under the Dram Shop Act — and reckless service can unlock punitive damages with no cap.
Texas’s helmet & comparative-fault ruleTransp. Code § 661.003 / CPRC § 33.001
How Texas actually treats helmet use
Texas exempts riders 21 and over who carry health insurance or completed a safety course from the helmet requirement. When a head injury is alleged, a jury may weigh helmet non-use under the modified comparative-fault statute — reducing, but rarely erasing, recovery.
Why it matters to your case: Helmet use affects damages, not liability — it does not change who caused the crash, and for non-head injuries it carries little weight.
Source: Tex. Transp. Code § 661.003
These are publicly reported cases and general legal developments, provided for educational purposes only. They are not results obtained by Newman Injury Law, and past results do not predict the outcome of any case. Every claim depends on its own facts.