Verdict: $40,000,000.00 - Largest jury award in Southwest Florida history

Naples - On March 15, 2001, a man traveling west-bound on Vanderbilt Beach Rd Extension at an excessive rate of speed, slammed on his brakes to avoid crashing into a car ahead of him, leaving skid marks 97 feet long. His car then crossed the center line and crashed head-on into an oncoming car. Lab reports found that the defendant had a blood alcohol level of 0.221 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08 percent for drunken driving. The report also showed the defendant had smoked marijuana and used cocaine before the accident.

The victim, a 40 year-old business comptroller for a Naples firm, had to stop working because of the lower back injuries and herniated disc she suffered in the crash. She retained the services of Associates & Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, P.A., to fight on her behalf against the drunk driver and the insurance company.

A jury awarded our client $40 million in civil damages for disabling injuries inflicted by the drunken driver. She was awarded $10 million for pain and suffering, medical bills and lost wages and $30 million in punitive damages. It was the largest civil judgement ever awarded in Southwest Florida, according to her attorney, Randall Spivey.

The man she sued did not appear for his trial and was not insured at the time of the crash. The defendant was also charged with driving without a license. Collier County sheriff's records show the defendant had a prior "Driving Under the Influence" conviction only eight months before the crash, and the court had ordered him to attend DUI school in the first case. This verdict was a moral victory, according to Spivey. The firm of Associates & Bruce L. Scheiner hopes this will be a wake-up call for potential drunk drivers. "It sends a message to all drunk drivers. Hopefully, the jury's decision will prevent others from being killed or having to endure the injuries my client suffers from", Spivey said.

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