Marion County jury awards $1.3 million verdict in to woman injured in 2017 traffic crash
A Marion County jury has awarded a woman $1.3 million in damages in a civil case.
Court records show Maricela Osvath's judgment stems from a July 2017 traffic crash that occurred along Baseline Road.
Osvath was represented by Nick Russo, Keith Mitnik and Adam Clark of the Morgan & Morgan law firm.
Dispute ends: Jury awards Ocala man close to $1M in dispute over belongings
Lawsuit pending: Dispute over 5,400 new homes in SW Marion may go to trial. Developer wants non-local jury
Settlement reached : Ocala neurologist to pay $800K to settle allegations of prescribing unnecessary drugs
Court documents
The seven-member jury, consisting of six jurors and one alternate, was selected by the attorneys on Nov. 15 and the trial began Nov. 16 and ended three days later.
Closing arguments were delivered on Nov. 19 and a verdict was announced on the same day. Circuit Judge Gary Sanders presided over the trial, according to court records.
Jurors had a chance to review 32 pieces of evidence presented at trial, according to court documents. Among the records introduced were Osvath's medical documents and bills.
Russo told a Star-Banner reporter that the defendant was represented by Elizabeth Myers and Jeff Bigman from the law firm Smith Bigman Brock from Daytona Beach.
Russo said the crash happened on Baseline approximately 50 feet north of Southeast 88th Street and his client had neck, back, shoulder and knee problems. The woman was on her way to work when the defendant's sport utility vehicle crossed the center line and collided with the woman's vehicle head-on at about 55 mph, according to a press release from Morgan & Morgan.
Court records indicate that James Carney Dolive, 40, of Ocala, was the driver of the other vehicle. He was cited by a Florida Highway Patrol troopers for failure to drive in a single lane.
Although Dolive did not have to appear in court, he paid a $166 fine in late November 2017, according to court documents.
Effects from the crash
Osvath was trapped in her vehicle for roughly half an hour, the release notes. The lawyer said the defense wanted a substantial amount less than the $1.3 million awarded by the jury.
The lawyer said although Osvath is able to work, she still has pain.
Russo said Osvath would love to get her health back and not have to live in pain. He said he's happy about the outcome and the money will take care of her needs.
"This crash completely changed Ms. Osvath's life, impacting her job and her marriage and making her day-to-day activities like cooking, grocery shopping, and brushing her hair much more difficult. While Ms. Osvath's pain will never go away, we're hopeful that this verdict will ease the financial burden of her ongoing treatment and give her the opportunity to make the most of her life going forward," Russo said in the press release.
Contact Austin L. Miller at 867-4118, austin.miller@starbanner.com or @almillerosb
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Florida jury awards $1.3M verdict to Marion woman injured in crash
