In 2012, three people died in an auto accident in Florida that was caused by a man who was sent to jail for 22 years after he was convicted on charges of reckless driving and vehicular homicide. The families of those who lost their lives recently filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a civil court. The jury awarded over $37 million to the plaintiffs.
On the day of the crash, a Florida man and his wife, along with their 9-year-old son and his 10-year-old friend, were in a car that was stationary at an intersection. The wife and the two young boys were killed when another vehicle smashed into the rear of their car. At the time, it was determined that synthetic marijuana impaired the driver of that vehicle.
The lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer of the spice product, which the impaired driver had smoked. The jury found that the maker of the synthetic marijuana labeled the product as potpourri and failed to include the necessary warnings on the label. The surviving husband and father received approximately $28 million, and the parents of the other boy got over $10 million.
At the end of this four-day trial, the jury found the impaired driver was 35 percent liable and the manufacturer was 65 percent responsible based on Florida’s pure comparative negligence standard. Anyone in Florida who has lost loved ones in similar circumstances could retain the services of an experienced wrongful death attorney. A lawyer can provide the necessary guidance and support in a client’s pursuit of damage recovery through the civil justice system.