A jury in Indian River County awarded a man from Bradenton more than $3 million in a verdict related to a 2017 accident that caused him permanent injury. The verdict accounts for medical expenses, future expenses and pain and suffering.
Case background
The verdict stems from an accident that occurred on April 13, 2017. The man, Steve Sallies, was stopped at a red light on 20th Street in Vero Beach, just west of I-95. While waiting for the light, he was rear-ended without warning by a 1992 Freightliner Cordi EMV. The driver of the freightliner, a 33-year-old Fort Pierce man, was cited for careless driving by the local authorities.
Sallies later named the driver, Alejandro Tinelfi Fuertes Rodriguez, in a lawsuit, accusing him of speeding, driving while distracted and failure to take the necessary action to avoid a collision that resulted in severe injury.
Sallies sustained injuries in his extremities, experienced significant pain and suffering as a result of those injuries and had extremely expensive medical bills that piled up. He now has physical handicaps and disabilities that are expected to be permanent as a result of the accident, which significantly increased the amount of money he stood to gain in the case.
The lawsuit also alleged Rodriguez was not sufficiently insured at the time of the accident to cover the necessary costs of the crash. Rodriguez only ended up paying $169 in fees after pleading “no contest” to the citation.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an auto accident caused by another person’s negligence, it’s important to take the necessary steps to ensure you receive financial compensation for your losses. Contact an experienced Bradenton, FL attorney at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh to begin your case.