Tampa Jury Awards Damages After Rear-End Collision

On January 19, 2006, in Tampa, a vehicle operated by a plaintiff was rear-ended by a defendant's vehicle while stopped for a red light on Hillsborough Avenue at Theresa Road. The plaintiff subsequently filed a lawsuit, alleging negligence and seeking damages for injuries sustained in the collision. Prior to trial, the defendant admitted liability for the rear-end collision.

One plaintiff in the case accepted a $1,500 settlement. The remaining plaintiff's case proceeded to a three-day trial, where the primary dispute focused on whether the defendant's admitted negligence caused a permanent injury. The plaintiff presented expert testimony from an orthopedic surgeon and two chiropractors. The defendant countered with testimony from an orthopedic surgeon who performed an independent medical examination.

After deliberating for approximately one hour, a jury of six found that the defendant's negligence was a legal cause of the plaintiff's loss, injury, or damage and that the plaintiff sustained a permanent injury. Following the verdict, a motion to add the defendant's insurer as a party to the case, for the purpose of enforcing and collecting the final judgment, remained pending.