Mark Roman | November 9, 2023 | Firm News

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers proudly announces that news.law published an article spotlighting our personal injury case. News.law described the catastrophic injuries that our client, Maria Garcia, endured. She was a pedestrian who was struck in a crosswalk by a Pinellas County school bus that did not stop. 

Ms. Garcia nearly lost her life in the accident. She suffered degloving injuries, fractures, internal damage, and a brain injury. Her life-altering injuries required major surgery with instrumentation to fix pelvic fractures. These injuries have left Ms. Garcia dealing with permanent disabilities and in need of lifelong medical care. 

Ms. Garcia is a single mother of two daughters whose lives were drastically impacted by the school bus accident. She spent two months at Bayfront Hospital’s trauma center and continued to need extensive follow-up treatment after being discharged. Daily activities that were once easy to perform are now tasks Ms. Garcia needs help doing. Even walking is a challenging feat. 

After learning of the pain and suffering Ms. Garcia was enduring, Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers filed a lawsuit against the Pinellas County School Board. Our goal was to help her get the compensation she needed to continue her recovery. We succeeded in obtaining a $3 million judgment for Ms. Garcia. She is now able to use this compensation for her medical bills, lost wages, and future medical treatment. 

Even though the Pinellas County School Board agreed to a $3 million consent judgment, Florida has sovereign immunity laws. These laws help to shield the government from civil liability. In Florida, damages for personal injury cases brought against the government are capped at $200,000 per person. This cap on damages allowed Ms. Garcia to only receive $200,000 despite the judgment of $3 million. 

Fortunately, Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers remained committed to getting Ms. Garcia all she was entitled to. By seeking a claims bill (SB 4, HB 6017) before the Florida legislature with the aid of Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Linda Chaney, we helped Ms. Garcia recover full compensation.  

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610

Roman Austin Personal Injury Lawyers – New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442