Personal Injury News: Pick Of Last Month: December-2021

$26M To A Sarpy County Family In a Medical Malpractice Suit

A Sarpy County family has been awarded $26.1 million by a Douglas County jury against Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha for the facility's carelessness that resulted in permanent disability to a child.

As per the court documents, one of the doctors working in the hospital improperly discharged the 5-year-old child in 2017 post her treatment after she suffered an accidental fall, resulting in brain trauma for her. The child will receive $21.5 million as lifetime medical care, and the parents will get another $4.6 million to take care of her.

The family of the child stated that two days after being sent home from the hospital post the treatment, the child suffered from irreparable brain damage, severe seizures, blindness, difficulty in communicating and became wheelchair bound.

The Children’s Hospital stated that it sympathizes with the child's suffering, but their team was efficient enough to provide the required standard of care to the child during the treatment.

$1.75M To Family Of A Man Died In Police Struggle

The spouse of a Tulalip tribal member who died while struggling with police will get $1.75 million from Snohomish County.

The lawsuit alleges that the police officers used excessive force on the plaintiff even after he said to them that he is not able to breathe. A state judge dismissed the lawsuit, but last year the Washington Court of Appeals reinstated it.

The plaintiff had three children, and worked as a commercial fisherman, and drove a school bus. His spouse is a member of the Washington Coalition for Police Accountability.

A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeals Division I suggested the victim's spouse to seek a civil battery claim against the officers who mishandled the plaintiff.

As per the court documents of police officers' attorneys, the plaintiff was intoxicated because of which one of the police officers offered him a ride to home. The plaintiff agreed with the officers and was handcuffed to be taken to the home, but eventually, he lost his cool and started agitating after getting into the car.

The victim's family said that it is a big win for them as they have been fighting for six long years to get justice in the lawsuit.

Death Penalty For a Man Who Killed A Florida Police Officer

A jury has awarded the death penalty to a man who was convicted of killing a Florida police officer with five charges.

As per the court documents, the culprit was found guilty of shooting a police officer during a manhunt that began after he killed his ex-girlfriend who was pregnant.

The police officer was from the Orlando police department, and the department has praised the jury's decision. The culprit will now receive the highest penalty provided by the law for the crime committed by him. The loved ones of the police officer, along with her colleagues, waited for the verdict for years and the jury's decision was a sigh of relief for them.

The dead police officer was a master sergeant in the police department and was posthumously promoted to lieutenant whereas, the culprit is a serial criminal who had a history of crime.

$301B Settlement For A Victim Family In Drunk Driver Suit

A symbolic settlement of more than $301 billion has been awarded by a Texas jury to a family of a woman and a teenager who was killed in a car crash with a drunken driver.

As per the lawsuit, the plaintiffs' family sued a sports bar for serving the defendant with a dangerous amount of alcohol that resulted in the crash. The 59-year-old lady and her granddaughter were hit by the drunk defendant who ran over a red light at 91 mph.

The bar owner was ordered to pay $1.04 billion in actual damages and another $300 billion in exemplary damages to the plaintiffs. However, the attorneys for the plaintiffs stated that they are not expecting any compensation.

The jury sent a strong message to alcohol providers by giving a hefty verdict against the bar for the incident as the bars trade money for the safety of their patrons and the public.

$5M Settlement Over Wrongful Death Lawsuit In Texas

A $5 million wrongful death lawsuit settlement has been approved by a Texas county where a man who was repeatedly shocked with stun guns post a car chase by sheriff’s deputies in 2019.

As per the lawsuit, the plaintiff failed to dim his headlights to oncoming traffic, which resulted in a car chase from the cops on duty. The plaintiff was struck with stun guns by the sheriff's, post the chase after the police tamed him. He pleaded and said that he was sick and cannot breathe, but the officers ignored it and continued with the act which eventually resulted in his death.

The complete incident was recorded on the real-time police TV series where it can be seen that the deceased was pleading with the officers of uneasiness to breathe.

Two of the former deputies involved in the lawsuit are awaiting trial on manslaughter charges, and the county's former sheriff is charged for tampering with the evidence.

The family's attorney stated that strict actions are necessary by the law against the culprit to prevent further such incidents.