A Highlands County, Florida, jury awarded a verdict of more than $202 million to the plaintiffs involved in a devastating drunk-driving accident. Tampa plaintiff attorneys Dereck Capaz and Andres Oliveros represented Isamar Gonzalez, a twenty-five-year-old young mother, along with her four-year-old son Ezekiel in the automobile negligence lawsuit. (Isamar Garcia, individually and as parent and natural guardian of minor son, E.G. vs. Ricardo Espildora, Case No. 2016-CA-033).
In November 2015, when Ms. Gonzalez was nine months pregnant, a drunk driver plowed into the passenger side of her vehicle, causing her to become trapped inside with the vehicle door encroaching upon her pregnant abdomen and requiring extrication using the "jaws of life." The severe impact left Ms. Gonzalez with debilitating injuries and her then-unborn child in critical condition due to placenta abruption. Baby Ezekiel was delivered via emergency c-section but not before enduring a profound lack of oxygen and loss of blood and nutrients causing him to suffer irreversible brain damage. Since his birth, four-year-old Ezekiel has required constant medical care and multiple hospitalizations for his ongoing medical conditions. Medical experts expect that Ezekiel will require 24/7 care for the duration of his life.
