$31.5M Verdict Against Texas Collision Center For Improper Repairs

A Texas jury found that John Eagle Collision Repair Center owes $31.5 million for performing an improper repair that led to a couple being trapped in a burning car. The lawsuit gained national media attention in August after Matthew and Marcia Seebachan, who were trapped in the crushed, burning 2010 Honda Fit after a collision, found that John Eagle Collision Center (Dallas) had used glue instead of welds when replacing a hail-damaged steel roof on the vehicle prior to the accident. Now that John Eagle has been assigned 75 percent liability in the case, Erica Eversman, a collision repair attorney for Vehicle Information Services, says that the verdict could become a watershed moment that will affect collision-insurer relationships and increase public awareness of OEM procedures.