Texas jury awards $500 million in punitive damages to woman who sat down on railroad tracks while intoxicated and was struck by a train

Railway Age reports on a Texas state court verdict that awarded a woman $57 million in compensatory damages and $50o million in punitive damages against Union Pacific railroad.  According to the story, the plaintiff was intoxicated and sat down on the railroad tracks at a crossing that had a functional warning system.  UP’s statement on the verdict says that train crew saw the plaintiff sitting in the tracks, blew the horn on the train, and activated the train’s emergency brakes, but were unable to stop the train in time to avoid hitting the plaintiff.  UP’s statement also says that the punitive damages will be capped at $20 million under Texas law.