A chiropractor and his wife were awarded $14.5 million in their lawsuit against GEICO in Miami-Dade County. The jury’s verdict was based on a December 2004 highway collision with an uninsured motorist. Dr. David Zucker and his wife filed their lawsuit in 2006 and finally received their verdict over 9 years later.
The jury found in favor of Dr. Zucker and awarded him damages for:
- $767,740.00 in Past Lost Wages: The amount of money he lost as income because of the crash
- $1,862,769.00 in Future Loss of Earnings – The amount of money he could have reasonably expected to make in the future but for the injuries he sustained in the accident
- $4,077,108.00 in Past and Future Medical Expenses – The total amount of his past medical expenses plus the amount of his medical expenses in the future that he would reasonably expect to incur
- $5,200,00.00 for Pain and Suffering in the Past and in the Future – Any bodily injury sustained by the injured person and any resulting pain and suffering, disability or physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, or loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life experienced in the past or to be experienced in the future. There is no exact standard for measuring such damage. The amount should be fair and just in the light of the evidence.
The jury also awarded $2,500,000.00 to Dr. Zucker’s wife in damages for the losss of her husband’s comfort, society, attention, and services as caused by the negligence of the uninsured motorist.
Fortunately Dr. Zucker and his wife protected themselves against the negligence of negligent motorists who drive without insurance by purchasing Uninsured Motorist benefits from their insurance company. Unfortunately it took more than ten years to reach a verdict against GEICO. The length of time to reach a verdict highlights the need for any injured person to hire a lawyer, but also a law firm that will persevere against the defenses and delays of insurance companies.
Although GEICO was ordered to pay Dr. Zucker and his wife $14.5 million, it is important to remember that GEICO did not have to pay that liability for over ten years. Based on the post-trial comments of GEICO’s defense counsel, it appears that Dr. Zucker and his wife will continue to wait since the attorney said GEICO will now appeal.
If you are ever involved in an accident you should contact an attorney to guide you. An attorney can also help protect you from the defenses and delays of an insurance company. Having been involved in a crash is hard enough. Your insurance company should not compound the trauma by denying, delaying and defending.
Wolfson & Leon is a Miami personal injury law firm located in Miami, Florida that practices entirely in the field of all types of accident, injury, and wrongful death cases. The firm routinely accepts trial referrals. It is a boutique law firm that represents clients, giving them the utmost personal attention. Wolfson lawyers help clients in all parts of insurance, injury and wrongful death claims, handling cases from initial investigation, through trial, and even appeals.