Catastrophic Injury Results

At Kurzban Kurzban Tetzeli & 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

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

$2.8 million jury verdict judgment against an insurance company for uninsured/underinsured coverage for failure to pay compensation to a policyholder. This is 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 and as a result our firm was able to obtain this result on behalf of the client. This case also helped establish what is known as the “impact rule.”

$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. The construction companies were performing unauthorized overnight work and while Plaintiff was driving on the highway, he lost control of his vehicle and in came into direct collision with the construction equipment that had been improperly secured leading to Plaintiff’s death.

$800,000 settlement in Tampa against the Department of Transportation for its role in causing the death of a 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

$1 Million settlement in Palm Beach County presuit against a trucking insurance company for injuries sustained in an accident between a motorcycle and an 18-wheeler truck. The 53-year-old motorcyclist was struck by the 18-wheeler truck when it failed to yield to the motorcyclist’s right of way and collided with him head-on. The Plaintiff was a TV producer who suffered a fractured left metacarpus resulting in his inability to regain full use of his dominant hand. We are happy we were able to obtain the full policy in presuit to help assist in the recovery of our client.

$125,000 settlement in Broward County in a premises liability case. A 73-year-old man was injured on the property at his condominium when a piece of heavy soffit from the roof fell from the building and struck him in the leg, back, and rib area. The Plaintiff suffered a quadriceps rupture enduring continuous and severe pain. The settlement efforts were complicated as the injured plaintiff was the president of the condominium board. A truly complicated legal issue that was resolved to help the injured plaintiff recover from his injuries.

$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

Substantial settlement in excess of seven figures in Miami against Nissan Corporation. The firm was able to successfully settle for a significant amount for the claim of a young dancer who was in a Nissan automobile. Due to the negligent design and/or materials used in the construction of the vehicle an accident resulted in the loss of the 17-year-old’s leg below the knee. The amount of the settlement is subject to a confidentiality agreement and cannot be revealed. The firm has worked diligently in the field of product liability including automobile cases. This is just an example of same.

$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

$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. 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.

$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 ironworker.

$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 from the City of Hialeah, Dade County and their public works sub-contractors for piercing a water pipe and flooding the roads. As a result, a pedestrian was hit by an out of control automobile causing cognitive injuries.

$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.

$250,000 settlement from the Florida Insurance Guaranty Association (FIGA) for an injured construction worker.

$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.