How Much Is a Bicycle Accident Claim Worth in Florida?
The value of a personal injury claim in Florida depends on a number of factors. An accident victim can seek both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are generally simple enough to prove, as they reflect an accident victim’s out-of-pocket losses such as medical bills and lost income. Non-economic damages, however, are based on an assessment of unquantifiable losses like a victim’s pain and suffering. So how do you actually come up with a final number?
Postal Service Ordered to Pay $411,634.17
A March 2025 decision from a federal judge in Orlando provides a helpful example of how to answer this question. The case before the judge, Eason v. United States, involved a bicyclist (the plaintiff) injured in a collision with a United States Postal Service truck. Personal injury claims against the federal government are subject to special procedural rules, although Florida personal injury law still governs any determination of liability and damages.
One such procedural rule is that these personal injury lawsuits are heard by a judge rather than a jury. In this case, United States District Judge Julie S. Sneed held a bench trial and issued a detailed order explaining her judgment. In brief, the plaintiff was riding his bicycle along a two-lane road with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. While executing a turn to exit a driveway, a Postal Service delivery vehicle backed into the plaintiff’s path. The plaintiff attempted to swerve to the middle of the road, but the Postal Service truck struck the plaintiff, throwing him off of his bike.
Judge Sneed concluded that the Postal Service driver was 100 percent at-fault for the accident. She rejected the government’s argument at trial that the plaintiff was 49 percent at-fault, noting that he was “bicycling about as fast as a slow-moving car” and did not have sufficient time to stop or swerve out of the postal truck’s path.
With respect to damages, Judge Sneed concluded that the plaintiff’s economic damages consisted of his past medical bills, which came to $106,634.17. The judge also awarded non-economic damages of $200,000 for the plaintiff’s past “pain, suffering, mental anguish, inconvenience, and loss of capacity to enjoy life, and an additional $100,000 as compensation for his future non-economic damages in the aforementioned categories. Finally, the court awarded the plaintiff’s wife $5,000 in “loss of consortium” damages, bringing the total judgment against the federal government to $411,634.17.
In reaching these figures, Judge Sneed noted there was no “exact standard” for non-economic damages in these cases except to award an amount that was “fair and just in light of the evidence.” Here, the judge credited the plaintiff’s “testimony regarding the pain he suffered because of the accident,” as well as his doctor’s opinions about the effect the accident would have on his long-term health and life expectancy.
Contact a Miami Personal Injury Lawyer Today
Every personal injury case is different. That is why it is crucial to work with an experienced Miami personal injury attorney who will take the time to understand your case and advise you of your options when it comes to seeking compensation. Contact Pita Weber Del Prado in Miami today at 305-670-2889 to schedule a free consultation.
Source:
scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=1522994347033298905
