Emilio Negligent

A Texas civil court jury decided Jan. 10 that Tejano singer Emilio Navaira, known simply as Emilio, was grossly negligent when he crashed his tour bus on a Houston highway while driving drunk in March 2008.

The lawsuit, filed by former Rio bassist Ricardo Vega, sought $1 million but the jury awarded $94,428, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Both sides are reportedly happy with the outcome.

“At this point, what we wanted was for it to be over,” Vega told the News. “He was my friend, but of course it’s something that had to be done. My next step is to … move on from this already.”

Emilio and his band performed at Houston’s Hallabaloo club the night before the crash. The singer was thrown through the windshield of the bus when it collided with traffic barrels in the early morning hours of March 23.

Vega sustained a lacerated liver and dislocated shoulder in the crash. Five other passengers were treated and released at the time.

Emilio pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated about a year after the accident that left him seriously injured and in need of five brain surgeries. Police said the singer had a blood alcohol percentage of 0.19 at the time of the crash.