Florida Jury Awards Family of Motorcycle Wrongful Death Victim $8.5 Million

Dec. 13, 2010 - PRLog -- Palm Beach Gardens, FL – On December 9, 2010, a West Palm Beach jury awarded $8.48 million to the Potts family, providing justice by holding the defendant accountable for his negligent actions in a preventable tragedy.

Late morning on August 8, 2006, John Potts, a 51-year-old locksmith  husband and father of two daughters, was driving his motorcycle westbound through a yellow-flashing light at the intersection on the BeeLine Highway near the border of West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. At the same time, defendant James Harvey, a lobbyist for U.S. Multico, was driving his company-owned Hummer northbound on Jog Road at the intersection of BeeLine Highway. Mr. Harvey stopped at the flashing red light but claimed he never saw the motorcycle, so he proceeded into the intersection  colliding into Mr. Potts. Mr. Potts was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
 
“Mr. Harvey clearly violated Mr. Potts’ right-of-way,” said Potts family attorney Sean Domnick of Domnick & Shevin. “Mr. Harvey failed to see what was right in front of him. Had he simply looked and followed the rules of the road, this tragedy could have been prevented.”

Mr. Harvey defense included blaming the traffic signals and John Potts; however, evidence and eyewitness testimony from other motorists at the scene proved otherwise. “Fortunately, the jury didn’t buy any of that and placed blame where it was squarely deserved,” added Domnick. “The jury did a fantastic job of paying attention to the evidence and returning a verdict that measured the magnitude of the loss that was suffered by this family.”

After approximately 45 minutes of deliberation, a jury award Potts’ widow, Tracey $4 million and his two daughters $2 million each. The court also stipulated  $480,000 for the estimated loss of income that Mr. Potts could have earned.  

Domnick & Shevin, PL, a Palm Beach Gardens Litigation Firm, focuses on Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Medical Malpractice, Catastrophic Injury, Product Liability, and Mass Torts. The firm is headquartered at 5100 PGA Boulevard, Suite 317 and may be contacted at (561) 630-5363. Additional information about Sean Domnick and Domnick & Shevin, PL may be obtained from the firm’s website at http://www.acallforjustice.com.

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