San Angelo Mother Sues DoorDash Driver, Company Over Crash

SAN ANGELO, TX — A San Angelo woman and her two minor children have sued a local driver and DoorDash Inc., alleging the driver rear-ended their vehicle while working for the delivery service, causing injuries. 

Dulce Marie Cortez, individually and alongside her children, filed the lawsuit Oct. 21, 2025, in Tom Green County’s 119th District Court against driver Kleigh Renee Johns and DoorDash. 

According to the plaintiffs’ original petition, the crash occurred about 7:22 p.m. Nov. 5, 2023, in the 300 block of West Beauregard Street in San Angelo. Cortez was westbound and stopped at a traffic signal when Johns, also westbound, failed to control her speed and collided into the rear of Cortez’s vehicle, the petition states. 

The suit claims Johns was negligent for failing to keep a proper lookout, timely apply her brakes, take evasive action, use due caution or control her speed. It alleges Johns was acting in the course and scope of her employment with DoorDash at the time, making the company liable. The petition also accuses DoorDash of negligent hiring, supervision, training and retention. 

Cortez and her children claim neck, back, shoulder and other bodily injuries that have caused physical pain, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement and loss of wages and earning capacity, both past and future. They seek monetary damages exceeding $1 million, plus pre- and post-judgment interest and court costs.

Johns filed a general denial Nov. 17, 2025, and asserted multiple affirmative defenses, including plaintiffs’ own negligence, proportionate responsibility, unavoidable accident, failure to mitigate damages, pre-existing conditions and right to credit or offset. She also pleaded intervening or superseding cause and accord and satisfaction.

DoorDash filed its original answer and affirmative defenses the same day, entering a general denial and asserting that Johns was not its employee, agent or servant and that it exercised no control over her. The company denied vicarious liability and raised defenses including comparative responsibility, failure to mitigate, limitations on medical expense recovery and lack of proximate cause.

Both defendants reserved the right to amend their pleadings. 

This case is currently on the dismissal docket, with Judge Rios Gonazlo presiding, and is scheduled for June 10, 2026.