An Alachua County jury has awarded a Gainesville man greater than $765,000 for accidents he suffered whereas driving an electrical scooter in downtown.
The verdict got here down on Wednesday, discovering the city of Gainesville negligent for accidents sustained to Doug Haugen.
On April 12, 2020, Haugen, 66, was driving one of many third-party scooters close to the intersection of Southeast Third Street and Second Avenue when he hit a manhole cowl that was surrounded by a sidewalk that was raised just a few inches on account of a close-by tree.
Haugen hit the raised sidewalk and was thrown from the scooter, fracturing each arms. He additionally acquired accidents to his fingers, wrists, elbows, knees and abdomen when he hit the bottom.
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Gainesville officers had acquired a number of studies of the difficulty three months main as much as the accident.
“Despite the city’s attempts to blame Mr. Haugen for this incident, Morgan & Morgan attorneys Jared Comstock, James Biggart, and Jacob Barrow proved the City was 100% at fault and won the $765,000 verdict to cover their client’s medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering,” a Morgan & Morgan information launch mentioned Friday.
Prior to the accident, Comstock mentioned Haugen was in “incredible physical shape,” even strolling as much as 8 miles a day and planning to hike the two,000-mile Appalachian Trail. Now, he added, Haugen struggles with stamina and power.
“We are pleased with this result to help him cope with what he has lost, heal from his injuries, and move forward as best he can,” Comstock mentioned in the discharge.