$8,000,000 award – truck-auto crash on turnpike

Parents are never supposed to bury their children.   There is no greater loss than the death of a child.  When that child is young adult, just starting their life, this is even worse.  A beautiful young woman’s life was taken just when she was to complete high school and enter the United States Air Force and serve our country. For these parents, grief is not a strong enough word to use when describing the loss of their beautiful daughter.

Leighton Panoff Law’s John Elliott Leighton won an incredible arbitration award of $8,000,000 for the parents of a 19 year-old student killed in a car crash on Florida’s Turnpike.  The crash was caused by a commercial vehicle failing to yield the right of way on a limited access highway.  The truck made a u-turn across the highway and blocked the roadway, causing a catastrophic crash that killed this young girl and catastrophically injured another.

In addition to the complex liability of a commercial vehicle crash with a passenger car, Mr. Leighton focused on the real world loss to these clients. The deceased was survived by her parents, who had to deal with the wrongful death of their only child. Under Florida law, a child is considered a minor if they were under 25 years old at the time of their death.  This is the largest known award for a single death of a minor child in Florida. Seetaram v. United Rentals Arbitration Award.

Children are not supposed to die before their parents. In this case, these parents lost their only child. At a time when she was just starting her life. Our hope is that their financial security assists them in dealing with the tragic loss of their child, who can never be replaced.  Children who are killed in car accidents have a special place in everyone’s heart.

 

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