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An Erath County jury has awarded nearly $35 million to the family of Jordan Sanchez, a 19-year-old high school senior who died in a tragic farm accident two years ago in Dublin. Sanchez was killed when a front-end loader ran over him while he was clearing rocks in a field as part of a youth work program.
The two-day trial in Erath County ended April 17 with an 11-1 jury verdict in favor of the Sanchez family, holding Grass Roots Farming LLC responsible. The verdict included $32 million in damages, plus $2.9 million in prejudgment interest and $9,668 in court costs — making it the largest plaintiff’s verdict in Erath County history, according to the family’s attorney, Domingo Garcia.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed in May 2023 in the 266th District Court. The Sanchez family had originally also named Alan D. Vander Horst, doing business as Sierra Dairy, and Vander Horst Enterprises LLC, but those parties settled before trial for $1 million.
Garcia said that before trial, he offered to settle with Grass Roots Farming’s insurance provider for the policy limit of $5 million. The offer was rejected. Instead, the company offered $1 million, prompting the family to proceed to trial.
Dublin is about 90 miles southwest of Fort Worth.
The accident happened April 7, 2023. Sanchez, a senior at Dublin High School, was participating in a work program for children of dairy employees. That morning, he was working with a group of five teens clearing debris in a field, walking just 10 feet ahead of a front-end loader. When Sanchez bent to pick up a rock, the loader struck him and ran him over. The driver, identified as Ben Coan, was allegedly distracted, reportedly on his phone at the time.
Jordan’s younger brother, Alfonso, also on the crew, witnessed the incident and held his brother as he died.
Katherine W. Binns, lead attorney on the case, said the driver failed to perform a basic head count before moving. “Had he counted heads … he would have realized he was missing one,” she said. She also noted the lack of basic safety protocols — no vests for the teens, and no spotter to guide the driver.
In fact, the teens reportedly threw rocks at the loader’s cab and shouted in a desperate attempt to get Coan to stop.
During closing arguments, Binns had asked the jury for $15 million to $22 million in damages. The jury exceeded that.
Binns said the case underscored the need for simple, life-saving measures in agriculture: banning phone use while operating heavy machinery and providing reflective vests for youth workers — a $10 fix, she noted.
Read a full account of the case at Law.com.