VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The jury recommended the woman who was run over by a Central Florida beach patrol pickup truck in 2011 should receive $2.6 million in damages in a civil trial on Friday.
WKMG-TV reports the jury announced they reached a verdict just after 5 p.m. on Friday. The jury said Erin Joynt should receive $100,000 for caused damages, $500,000 for lost income, $500,000 for past pain and suffering and $1.5 million for future suffering.
"She's entitled to damages and we wish her well. The cap in this case is $200,000 by incident the cap has already been spent in this case and so at this point they have to seek a claims bill through the legislature," said Assistant District Attorney Nance Jones.
Joynt, 36, told jurors Thursday about the accident where a part-time lifeguard ran over her while she was sunbathing. Joynt suffered from permanent brain damage, facial paralysis, hearing loss, among other injuries
The six-person jury was seated earlier this week.
"Some of the evidence wasn't there to support that level of verdict but how do you decide what to pay somebody for pain and suffering especially a 36-year-old woman who has facial paralysis and it's not clear at this point if it's going to be for the rest of her life," said Jones when asked about the amount of money Joynt was awarded.