A Hall County jury this week awarded $11.5 million to a family of three who were injured in a 2013 crash outside a Walmart in Gainesville, officials said.
The incident involved a pickup truck driven by defendant Ronald Patterson crashing into the pedestrians in the parking lot, according to a news release from a firm representing attorneys Mark Alexander and Dan Sammons.
Amy Dunn was hit while walking with her husband, James Dunn, and daughter in the crosswalk, according to reports. She suffered a brain injury.
Danielle, 12, stills suffers from emotional issues, according to the release. The girl’s stepfather also had multiple injuries. The incident was captured on security cameras.
“In awarding punitive damages that exceeded the amount we were seeking,” Alexander said, “the jury made a strong statement on behalf of our community that irresponsible behavior like this will not be tolerated.”
The jury awarded $5 million in punitive damages, even though the family sought $3 million, the attorneys said. Also, $4 million in compensatory damages were awarded to the mother.
The jury also awarded compensatory damages of $1.5 million to the daughter and an additional $1 million to the stepfather.
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