HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A jury has awarded $500,000 to a man who sued the City of Houston after he says he was injured by a golf cart being driven by a city official.<\/p>\n
John Branch, the man at the center of the lawsuit, is director of Precinct 1’s all-volunteer Community Emergency Response Team.<\/p>\n
He said he was at a parade commemorating the 125th anniversary of Booker T. Washington High School in 2018 when his leg was run over by the golf cart.<\/p>\n
“It rolled up my foot and up the bottom of my shin,” Branch said.<\/p>\n
In his lawsuit, he claims the golf cart was operated by then-Houston City Council member Michael Kubosh.<\/p>\n
“My members were there, and they all grabbed the golf cart to try to control it from completely running over me,” Branch said.<\/p>\n
Branch was already wearing a prosthetic knee at the time of the accident and said the brush with the golf cart only made matters worse.<\/p>\n
“Because my leg was shifting and knocking, a couple of times I’ve had falls,” he said. “One time I had a fall so bad that it put a cut on my head, and I had to go into the ER.”<\/p>\n
Kubosh told Eyewitness News that it was then-Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena who was driving the golf cart.<\/p>\n
He said both men encouraged Branch to seek medical attention from on-site EMS staff, but said Branch declined.<\/p>\n
“No medical was offered,” Branch said in response.<\/p>\n
Faced with six-figure medical bills, Branch sued the city in 2020.<\/p>\n
The city appealed all the way to the Texas Supreme Court in a bid to get the lawsuit tossed, arguing that Kubosh wasn’t acting in his capacity as a city employee and that it wasn’t a city-owned golf cart.<\/p>\n
“We argued that this was a public parade that was permitted by the City of Houston,” Katie James, the attorney representing Branch, said. “There were multiple City of Houston officials at the parade.”<\/p>\n
The Supreme Court sided with Branch, ultimately putting the case in the hands of a Harris County jury.<\/p>\n
Tuesday, the jury unanimously found in Branch’s favor, awarding him $500,000. He was only asking for $200,000.<\/p>\n
“It brought tears to my eyes,” Branch said.<\/p>\n
“If you do something wrong, whether it’s an accident or whatever, admit to it. Admit your fault, make good on it,” he added.<\/p>\n
Under Texas’s tort law, the city only has to make good on half of the jury’s verdict. Personal injury claims are capped at $250,000.<\/p>\n
But Branch says the case is about more than mere money.<\/p>\n
“There was no contact made to apologize, to make a payment, to offer,” he said.<\/p>\n
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