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Five members of a Florida family who were left with severe and permanent injuries after their car was struck from behind by another vehicle at a red light in Florida in 2013 have been awarded $52 million in damages by a jury.
The five family members were sitting at a stoplight in a 2011 Nissan Sentra at Southeast Maricamp Road and 31st Street in Ocala, Fla., on Dec. 6, 2013 when the car was slammed from behind by a 2012 BMW being driven by Nathan Pyles, according to a Feb. 28 story in The Ocala Star Banner. The force of the impact then pushed the Sentra into a 2011 Dodge Caravan minivan after Pyles failed to activate the brakes on his car, the story reported. The impact was so powerful that the Sentra stood up on its nose before finally striking the minivan.
Hurt in the crash were Yolanda Aldana, who was driving the Sentra, and her four children, Kevin Martinez, Anthony Martinez, Alejandro Aldana and Kenneth Herrera, the story states. At the time of the crash, the children were all under the age of 12. Kenneth Herrera, the most seriously injured child, was 23 months old at the time of the crash.
All five family members suffered a wide range of serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries; spinal, rib, femur and pelvic fractures; collapsed lungs; spleen and liver lacerations; and blunt force trauma, the story reported. Kenneth Herrera, who is now 7 years old, is a paraplegic, while Anthony Martinez, who is now 14, still requires additional surgeries to treat his ongoing injuries, according to the report.
The family was awarded a total of $51,813,591 by a Florida jury in the case after filing a negligence lawsuit against Pyles, the story states. The verdict, which was reached after a six-day trial, will help cover the family’s past medical bills of $500,592.72, and future medical costs of some $15.5 million for the most seriously injured victims. Pyles was ticketed for careless driving and for not wearing a seat belt after the crash.
These kinds of tragic legal cases occur every day when innocent victims are severely hurt or killed in vehicle crashes through no fault of their own due to the actions, inattentiveness or indifference of others. That’s why it is critical to have a legal team on your side that uncovers every fact to bolster your case and maximize your damage award.
We here at MyPhillyLawyer stand ready to assist you with your legal case if you or a loved one is ever seriously injured in a vehicle incident or accident anywhere in the United States.
We represent the families of victims who die in such tragedies as well, to ensure that their families receive every penny of damages that they are eligible to receive.
Call MyPhillyLawyer at 215-227-2727 or toll-free at 1-866-920-0352 anytime and our experienced, compassionate, aggressive team of attorneys and support staff will be there for you and your family every step of the way as we manage your case through the legal system.
When Winning Matters Most, Call MyPhillyLawyer.