Injuries can happen at any place at any time. If you suffer from an injury in Florida, a personal injury lawsuit may provide the help you need to rebuild your life. However, we know that many Floridians may have questions about what type of settlement to expect and what goes into a personal injury lawsuit. In the first entry in this two-part series, we will start by looking at two recent cases of personal injury lawsuits and highlight why these cases led to such substantial settlements.
Why is Learning About Settlements Important?
If you have been injured and are considering pursuing a personal injury lawsuit, one way to learn what to expect is to look at previous examples. Today, we are purposely highlighting cases with notable features, large settlements, or unique aspects. While it is unrealistic to think your case will top the leaderboards for the largest personal injury settlement ever, seeing these amounts can hammer home the point that each case has value, and those injured due to someone else’s negligence deserve compensation for their injuries.
Now, let’s examine two settlements from recent years in two different areas of personal injury law.
Drunk Driving and Bar Liability Case
In late 2021, a jury awarded a historic $301 billion settlement to the family of a grandmother and granddaughter who were killed in a car accident. The accident occurred in November 2017 when a heavily intoxicated driver with a blood alcohol level of .263 left a sports bar and ran a red light. After colliding with the victim’s vehicle, all three individuals died in the crash.
The lawsuit filed by the family claimed that the bar was negligent in overserving the drunk driver, providing him with 11 alcoholic drinks before he left the premises. The jury’s decision to award such an astronomical sum was largely symbolic, and lawyers for the family say they do not expect to receive much or any money due to the bar’s financial status and lack of liability insurance.
This case was notable not only for the record-setting settlement but also for its broader implications for bar and restaurant liability. It also emphasizes that the huge settlement amounts you see are not always what you can expect in your case. Every situation is different; sometimes, a more realistic amount is better than a massive payment that the liable party cannot pay.
Significant Premises Liability Injury Payout
A seven-year-old boy in Virginia was seriously injured when a heavy merchandise display fell on him at a retail store. After an unstable display toppled over, the boy suffered multiple fractures and internal injuries, necessitating surgeries and long-term rehabilitation.
After much time, the family filed a lawsuit against the store, claiming that the display was improperly secured and posed a significant risk to customers, especially children. The case centered around the store’s negligence in ensuring the safety of its merchandise displays, and lawyers showed that the store may have been aware that some floor models were damaged in shipping and liable to fall over.
The settlement was reached at $9 million, but not after the store’s lawyers argued that the child made a full recovery and any injuries were due to a preexisting condition. Every person and company has the right to defend themselves, but they should still be held accountable for their negligence and help those they injured.
There is much more to learn from looking at notable personal injury settlements. In our next blog, we will take a closer look at a significant nationwide settlement and a situation involving the unique intersection of local governments and personal injury.
If you are considering a personal injury lawsuit in Florida, Probinsky & Cole is here to help. Contact our team today to learn more about what your case may be worth and what we can do to help secure a favorable settlement.
