Douglas Underwood and Michael Bird successfully completed a five day wrongful death case before a Bartow, Florida jury on July 26, 2013.
The case involved a collision between the Defendant tractor-trailer and the decedent – a 20-year old college student. Liability was at issue and both sides had retained an expert to reconstruct the accident. The expert who testified on behalf of the defendant prepared a video animation of the accident showing the decedent’s point of view and his ability to have avoided the collision. The animation was based on physical evidence from the scene, and from both vehicles.
Plaintiff’s counsel asked the jury for an award of 20 million dollars. After deliberation, the jury found no negligence on the part of the Defendant truck driver.
Of note, while still a young lawyer, this was Michael Bird’s 15th jury trial, making him eligible to sit for the Board Certification in examination in Civil Trial.
