A young Fort Lauderdale man sustained skull fractures, frontal lobe brain damage and facial fractures as a result of a Fort Lauderdale drunk driving accident and was recently awarded $15 million by a jury of his peers.
The man was a sober passenger in his friend’s vehicle. It was the impact from drunk driver’s vehicle that rear-ended their stopped vehicle that caused the injuries. The 22-year-old man was the back-seat passenger of a car that was rear-ended by a speeding car as it was stopped for a raised drawbridge.
The careless driver was reportedly under the influence of alcohol at the time accident. Investigators revealed that the driver had a .21 blood alcohol content level, according to DigitalJournal.com. The legal limit in Florida is .08
Our West Palm Beach drunk driving accident attorneys understand that many innocent motorists are injured every year because of the irresponsible and dangerous driving habits of intoxicated drivers. The innocent Fort Lauderdale passenger had corrective surgery to repair the fractures. He spent weeks in intensive care. Once he was released from the hospital, he developed a seizure disorder that cannot be controlled by medication. These seizures have altered his life in nearly every way.
Brain experts concluded that this degree of brain damage, and the location of the damage in the frontal lobe, negatively affects his decision-making processes and affects his short-term memory.
During trial, the jury found that the accident victim would no longer be able to work and awarded him with $2.7 million for past and future lost wages. He was also awarded $6.7 million for past and future medical care and another $6 million for past and future pain and suffering.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now targeting these careless drivers in an attempt to stop them from hurting any more innocent motorists. For this reason, alcohol-impaired drivers have been placed on their “most wanted” list. This is a list that increase awareness of, and support for, action to for government to adopt safety steps that can help prevent these types of deadly accidents.
The Administration estimates that someone is killed in a drunk driving accident every 48 minutes. Nearly 11,000 people were killed in these accidents in 2009 alone. Accidents that involve an intoxicated driver have not decreased in the last 10 years.
The NTSB suggests that states follow these tips to help put a stop to drunk drivers:
-Conduct frequent sobriety checkpoints.
-Enforce administrative license revocation for those who fail or refuse to take a sobriety test.
-Limit plea bargaining and diversion programs. Keep sentences strong and strict.
-Expand jail alternatives to include dedicated jail/treatment facilities, home detention with electronic monitoring and intensive supervision probation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 1,000 people were killed in Florida in 2009 because of car accidents that involved an intoxicated driver. A number of these deaths could have been prevented with more stringent enforcement efforts and more severe punishments.
If you or a loved one has been in injured in a drunk driving accident in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach or the surrounding areas, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez. Call for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights at 1-800-529-2368.
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