Catastrophic Injury Results

At Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli and Pratt P.A., our attorneys handle a wide variety of personal injury matters. With careful and thorough preparation of cases, our lawyers have a history of successful litigation in this practice area. We have divided these results based on the type of case.

Wrongful Death

A DOT truck driver fell asleep and swerved off the road, hitting the father of two who was standing on the sidewalk. The firm was able to obtain a $2 million special bill through the Florida Legislature to compensate the family. $3.6 million jury verdict in Miami against the Department of Transportation for the death of a single parent.

$800,000 settlement in Tampa against the Department of Transportation for its role in causing the death of 35-year-old woman. She was killed by another driver who swerved to avoid a ladder that had been improperly secured by the Department of Transportation driver.

$500,000 settlement against a tow truck company and an automobile dealership for a wrongful death litigation case. Plaintiff was a 27-year-old truck hauler picking up vehicles at an automobile dealer. The dealership told him not to park on their premises but instead to park on the side of the road. Plaintiff did as instructed and while he was standing inside the shoulder of the road getting tools from his toolbox, a tow truck struck the plaintiff, lifting him in the air and causing immediate death.

$305,000 verdict in Palm Beach for a man who suffered a misdiagnosis of heart condition by Dr. Joseph Motta ultimately leading to Mr. Drew’s death.

Personal Injury

This was the largest known verdict for a single-car accident. A 48-year-old chiropractor was forced to stop abruptly to avoid a collision, and as a result herniated his back. The insurance company refused to negotiate with its insured in any reasonable manner. Our firm was able to step in on behalf of the client and help establish what is now known as the “impact rule.” We recovered a $2.8 million jury verdict against an insurance company for failure to pay compensation to a policyholder.

$105,000 settlement in Miami against Allstate for injuries in a rear-end collision, one of the largest settlements in Florida for a soft tissue case.

Confidential settlement against a gym for a slip-and-fall accident resulting in plaintiff’s death. The plaintiff was an active 54-year-old male who was a regular member of the gym. The plaintiff fell backward from a step machine, causing a direct hit to the head. The plaintiff became immediately unconscious, was placed on life support and was eventually disconnected. Defendant failed to maintain the premises safe for its intended use, rendering it dangerous and unsafe for lawful use by the decedent.

Product Liability

The firm has worked diligently in the field of product liability, including automobile cases. This is just an example of same.

We were able to successfully settle the claim of a young dancer who was in a Nissan automobile. Due to the negligent design and/or materials used in its construction, an accident caused the loss of a 17-year-old’s leg below the knee. The amount of the settlement is subject to a confidentiality agreement and cannot be revealed. Settlement in excess of seven figures in Miami against Nissan Corporation.

$535,000 settlement in Miami for a Dade County roofer who was injured while applying a new liquid chemical adhesive for use on roofs without proper warning and safety equipment due to the manufacturer’s failure to advise of the need of the safety equipment. Vapors caused by this adhesive damaged the skin and nails of the roofer’s hand, lung damage and chemical asthma.

Construction Injury

The construction companies were performing unauthorized overnight work. Plaintiff lost control of his vehicle and came into direct collision with the construction equipment that had been improperly secured. $2.3 million settlement against two construction companies for its role in causing the death of a 20-year-old man killed by a boom crane whose hook was hanging from its equipment.

$1.25 million jury verdict for an ironworker in a crane accident while employed in building the Hollywood Fashion Mall. The firm was able to establish the crane operator’s negligence and the jury awarded the above sum for significant damage to the foot of the ironwork.

$800,000 settlement in Miami against Dade County assorted contractors for injuries suffered by an ironworker in the construction of portion of the Dade County Metrorail for failure to employ safe construction practices.

$500,000 settlement in Miami in a road construction case. The mode of development in reconstructing cities and sidewalks was not appropriately followed, which resulted in a large hole being left unmarked. The hole filled with rainwater, leading to ground surface blending. As a result, a bicyclist rode into the hole, went over the handle bars, broke his forehead and nose, and sustained severe lacerations from the injury.

$400,000 settlement in Miami for a construction worker injured at the Florida Power and Light nuclear plant during an overhaul and wood debris fell from higher levels hitting the construction worker on the head. The construction workers were forbidden to wear hardhats due to the fear of contamination by the company rather than bear the expense of cleaning the hats after use.

$210,000 jury verdict in Palm Beach awarded at trial to a man who was an ironworker. The day before Christmas Eve, Mr. Roy Badour was installing some stairways for the company he worked for. The company he was working for was one of the subcontractors doing the construction of the Palm Beach Courthouse facility. The general contractor had hired a crane company who was only to operate the crane before and after work hours. Because the stairway Mr. Badour was working on required overtime work, he was present during the crane operation. The crane operator hit a beam doing a dangerous lift, causing an accident and resulting in injury to Mr. Badour.

Maritime Injury

$555,000 jury verdict in Key West for a fisherman who was injured by an officer of the Florida Marine Patrol who failed to follow the safe rules of the sea.