Vol. 56 No. 7

Trial Magazine

Verdicts & Settlements: Motor Vehicle Liability

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Negligent passing leads to fatal head-on crash

July 2020

Michelle Anderson, 36, was driving on a southbound roadway when Calvin Adams, traveling in the opposite direction, attempted to pass a line of traffic in a no-passing zone. Adams crossed the centerline and struck Anderson’s vehicle head on. Both drivers were killed in the collision. Anderson is survived by her husband and three minor children.

Anderson’s estate sued Adams’s estate, alleging liability for Adams’s negligent driving. Suit claimed that Adams had been driving 90 mph on a curved part of the roadway when he attempted to pass the cars in front of him. The plaintiff did not claim lost income.

The jury awarded $13 million.

Citation: Anderson v. Glen, No. 02-1017-CA-000221 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Alachua Cty. Aug. 16, 2019).

Plaintiff counsel: AAJ member Richard K. Slinkman and Ryan Wynne, both of Jupiter, Fla.