Because Florida is currently a no-fault state, each driver must carry insurance called personal injury protection. This insurance covers an individual’s injuries and property damage up to the policy amount. Only if the medical bills and other factors such as pain and suffering exceed the amount of the PIP policy may someone then sue the other driver or their insurance company. When this does happen, the injured person must prove that the other driver was acting negligently for the driver to be deemed as responsible for the accident. It is then left up to a jury to determine how much compensation the plaintiff will receive.
Courtroom View Network reports that a Florida jury has awarded $160K to a woman for a crash she claims caused a traumatic brain injury.
On February 26th, jurors awarded Constance Griffis $160,000 at a trial for damages due to injuries she incurred in a 2010 wreck.
A jury for the Florida Eighth Circuit Court, which sat in Ocala, deliberated for about two hours before handing down the verdict. They awarded Griffis $100,000 for her pain and suffering and $60,000 for her medical bills.
Griffis was hit from behind by Jared Green on US 441 near Belleview, Florida. The contention made by Griffis was that she injured her back and knee. She further argued that the accident left her with memory loss and seizures due to a traumatic brain injury.
The jury rejected claims made by Griffis’s husband and two children for damages caused by her injury.