Jury Awards Over $12 Million to Teenage Car Accident Victim

By Andrew Weatherford

Published on March 01, 2009

In one of the largest personal injury verdicts in Orange County history, A 15 year-old girl was awarded more than $12 million for injuries that she sustained in a November 2003 car accident. The girl was riding with her grandparents on Thanksgiving Day when their car was rear-ended by a Dodge Ram pick-up.

As a result of the accident, the victim was paralyzed from the waist down and is forced to use a wheelchair.

The jury determined that the crash should never have happened. Trial attorney Keith Mitnik of Morgan and Morgan, a law firm headquartered in downtown Orlando, represented the victim. She was awarded $1.5 million in economic damages and $10.5 million for pain and suffering. The girl's grandmother was also awarded $1 million for injuries that she sustained in the accident.

The accident occurred on State Route 50 near Clermont, Florida, about 40 minutes from Orlando.

Comment on this article →