A wealthy Napa Valley powerbroker is claiming his £320,000 Rolls-Royce SUV accelerated uncontrollably before a horrific crash that left two young women with life-altering injuries, including paralysis. Robert Knox Thomas, 79, has launched a legal counteroffensive, pointing the finger at the luxury automaker after the victims sued him.
The Downtown Napa Collision
The incident occurred on a downtown Napa street just four days before Thanksgiving in November 2024. According to court filings, Annamarie Thammala, 29, and Veronnica Pansanouck, 31, were crossing the road when Thomas's Rolls-Royce Cullinan turned onto First Street and ploughed into them. Surveillance footage captured the moment the women were about to step onto the sidewalk before the vehicle barrelled towards them.
The consequences were devastating. Thammala was thrown violently into the air, slammed into a building, and crushed beneath a tree severed by the SUV. She suffered multiple fractures and catastrophic spinal injuries that left her paralysed from the waist down. Pansanouck was dragged and pinned beneath the vehicle before it crashed into the Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill, sustaining multiple spinal fractures requiring several surgeries. Their attorneys state both women will require lifelong medical care.
A Legal Battle Over Blame and Liability
In a cross-complaint, Thomas insists the luxury SUV 'accelerated on its own despite (his) attempt to stop the vehicle.' This claim directly contradicts the lawsuit from the injured women, who accuse Thomas of acting with 'rage, aggression, and a deliberate disregard for human life.' Witnesses described him as appearing angry and aggressive before the crash.
The Napa Police Department's Reconstruction Team concluded that Thomas 'caused the vehicle to accelerate, believing he was trying to stop the vehicle.' Investigators determined the SUV reached speeds of up to 39 mph in a 20-mph zone and found no evidence that drugs, alcohol, medical conditions, or a vehicle defect contributed to the crash. Thomas was cited for three traffic violations but faces no jail time.
He is now attempting to shift financial liability to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and three other companies connected to the vehicle's maintenance and modification. Rolls-Royce has fired back, denying each allegation and stating the vehicle met all federal safety standards.
Punitive Damages and a Contentious Defence
The legal fight has intensified around the issue of punitive damages. Thomas's attorneys moved to strike these damages, arguing the complaint uses 'inflammatory language with no substance' and that his conduct was, at best, careless, not malicious. However, Superior Court Judge Cynthia P. Smith allowed the punitive damages claim to proceed, siding with the plaintiffs' arguments.
The plaintiffs' case cites Thomas's alleged macular degeneration and multiple traffic law violations as evidence of reckless behaviour. Their lawsuit alleges his conduct that day was 'the culmination of rage, aggression, and a deliberate disregard for human life,' not an accident. A case management conference is scheduled for March 24, with a key jurisdictional motion to be ruled on February 6.
