Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas, was injured in a tragic accident in 1984 when he was 26 years old. Here’s what happened and what he received in terms of compensation:
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🩺 The Injury
• Abbott was jogging in a Houston neighborhood when a large oak tree cracked and fell on him.
• The tree crushed his spine and left him paralyzed from the waist down.
• He has used a wheelchair ever since.
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💰 The Lawsuit and Compensation
• Abbott filed a personal injury lawsuit against the homeowner and the tree service company responsible for inspecting the tree.
• He was awarded a settlement that included:
• $5.8 million total (in 1980s dollars; this would be significantly more today with inflation).
• This included $450,000 in pain and suffering, and the rest for medical expenses and future earnings.
• The settlement was structured to pay out in monthly annuities for the rest of his life, estimated to be around $14,000 per month, adjusted for inflation.
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🧠 The Irony
Many critics have pointed out that:
• Abbott benefited from the very personal injury laws that he has since worked to limit.
• As Texas Attorney General and later Governor, he has supported and signed laws that restrict how much money people can recover in personal injury lawsuits — like HB 30, which you mentioned earlier.
• Under the laws he now supports, he likely wouldn’t be able to get the same settlement today.
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This has led many Texans to call out the hypocrisy in Abbott’s political positions — receiving full justice when he was injured, while pushing laws that deny others the same opportunity.
