Jury: Texting A&M Student Caused Fatal Crash; Ordered to Pay $22M

March 22, 2010

A jury that decided a Texas A&M University student was texting while driving and caused a deadly wreck has ordered him to pay $22 million in damages.

The victim, Megan Small of Houston, was a senior at Baylor University and was driving to Waco when the November 2007 accident happened near Calvert.

The investigation indicated a vehicle driven by Reed Vestal crossed the center line and struck Small's vehicle head-on near Calvert. Phone records indicated Vestal sent and received 15 texts and made seven calls in the 45 minutes before the wreck.

The damages will be shared with Small's friend Laura Gleffe, who was driving another car that rolled during the crash.

Small family attorney Hunter Craft says Vestal declared bankruptcy prior to the civil trial in Franklin.

An attorney for Vestal did not immediate comment on the verdict.