12/17/2025
Mississippi trucking company has been ordered to pay $44 million to the widow of a man k*lled in a massive 2021 pileup on Interstate Highway 35, a Dallas County jury ruled on Friday. The verdict, which includes significant punitive damages, is the first to be reached in a case stemming from the deadly, 130-car chain reaction crash.
The fatal incident occurred on February 11, 2021, during that year's devastating ice storm.
Christopher Ray Vardy, 49, of Boyd, was driving in the southbound lanes of the 1-35 TEXpress
section when his vehicle stopped due to crashes ahead.
According to the lawsuit, Vardy was k*lled when an 18-wheeler, owned by New Prime Inc. and driven by Steven Ridder, slammed into the rear of his stopped vehicle.
Court documents filed in the case noted that first responders reported never having witnessed a vehicle as extensively damaged as Vardy's.
The jury's verdict specified:
• $24.1 million in compensatory damages.
• $20 million in punitive damages, citing gross negligence.
The verdict placed 75% of the liability on the driver, Steven Ridder.
Attorneys representing the family stated the case is the first to go to trial in connection with the horrific 130-vehicle pileup, which claimed a total of six lives.
Mr. Vardy's wife, Tamara Vardy, was serving as the superintendent of Boyd ISD at the time of the crash and resigned prior to the 2022-2023 school year.
