Brain Damaged DUI Victim Awarded $15.4 Million Verdict in Florida Supreme Court Case

A 22-year-old Florida man sitting in the backseat of a motor vehicle is awarded $15.4 Million dollars in a verdict obtained by Miami personal injury law firm Leesfield & Partners after a drunk driver hit the car at a high rate of speed while stopped at a drawbridge.

As a result of the severe brain damage caused by the accident, a 3 men, 3 women jury panel awarded Mr. Grant $15.4 million dollars for lost wages, medical care and pain and suffering

Dwight Grant was a 22-year-old handyman living and working in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. According to the Florida Supreme Court Case ' Dwight Grant v. Matthew Lyons', Mr. Grant was a back seat passenger in a car stopped for a raised drawbridge when it was rear-ended by Matthew Lyons at a high rate of speed.

Attorneys Thomas Scolaro and Carol Finklehoffe of Leesfield & Partners filed a lawsuit against Mr. Lyons because he was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. Investigation revealed that Lyons blood alcohol level was .21. The legal limit in Florida is .08. As a result of the car accident, Dwight Grant sustained skull fractures, frontal lobe brain damage and facial fractures, and had corrective surgery to repair the fractures. Following his release from the hospital, Mr. Grant developed a seizure disorder that is not controlled by medication, making him unable to resume work.

Experts at trial testified that the degree of brain damage and the location of the damage in the frontal lobe controlled his decision-making processes and affected his short-term memory.