Kentucky Jury Awards $99,027 in Ambulance Negligence

In August 2016, a patient suffered a fall and seizure at home in LaCenter, Kentucky, and was being transported by an ambulance driven by an employee of the Ballard County Fiscal Court. While en route to a hospital in Paducah, the ambulance proceeded through a red light at the intersection of U.S. 60 and Ky. 305 at 71 mph, with lights and sirens activated. Another driver, proceeding on Ky. 305, entered the intersection as her light turned green, resulting in a collision. The patient, who was in the back of the ambulance, was thrown and struck the vehicle's wheelwell, sustaining a significant head laceration. The patient was subsequently transported to another hospital, where they required sedation and intubation for the head wound and remained hospitalized for ten days, partly due to alcohol withdrawal symptoms that were reportedly aggravated by the collision.

The patient filed a lawsuit, alleging negligence. The other driver settled before trial for the $25,000 policy limits. The patient continued the claim against Ballard County Fiscal Court, asserting the ambulance driver was negligent for speeding through the intersection. The patient argued that the entire ten-day hospitalization, including treatment for aggravated alcohol withdrawal, was related to the crash. Ballard County Fiscal Court contended that the other driver was solely responsible for the collision, citing an expert who noted clear conditions and an unobstructed view for the other driver. The defense also disputed the extent of the patient's injuries, arguing that most of the hospitalization was for alcohol withdrawal unrelated to the crash, according to an expert internist.

After a two-day trial, the jury found Ballard County Fiscal Court 75% at fault and the other driver 25% at fault. The jury awarded the patient $81,527 for medical expenses and $17,500 for pain and suffering, totaling $99,027. A judgment of $66,770 was entered after accounting for comparative fault. Ballard County Fiscal Court subsequently filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV), arguing that the court improperly limited expert testimony regarding the other driver's statutory duties and reiterating that the patient's hospitalization was largely unrelated to the crash. The patient countered that intubation for the head wound made the hospitalization crash-related, noting even the defense expert conceded aggravated alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and argued the issue was for the jury to decide. The JNOV motion was pending at the time of this report.