Senate Bill 0006

    Florida Senate - 1999        (NP)                         SB 6

    By Senator Forman





    32-37A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Metropolitan Dade County;

  3         providing for the relief of Ana

  4         Quintana-Marquez and Juan Marquez, her husband,

  5         for injuries and damages sustained as a result

  6         of a collision with a Metro-Dade police car;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8

  9         WHEREAS, on November 6, 1996, a Metropolitan Dade

10  County police car, while in pursuit of a traffic offender,

11  made an illegal turn at the intersection of N.W. 25th Street

12  and N.W. 67th Avenue in Dade County, and the police vehicle

13  collided with an automobile that was being driven by Ana

14  Quintana-Marquez, and

15         WHEREAS, as a result of the collision, Ms. Quintana

16  suffered severe injuries, including blunt abdominal trauma,

17  anterior chest and upper extremity contusions, multiple

18  fractures, and two perforations of her colon which were so

19  severe that they necessitated a colostomy and subsequent

20  surgery that removed her entire colon and part of her small

21  intestine, and

22         WHEREAS, Ms. Quintana has been in pain from the time of

23  the accident forward, has sustained extensive scarring and

24  embarrassment as a result of the accident, and has been

25  rendered unable to participate in normal daily interaction

26  with her two toddlers, as well as being rendered unable to

27  perform other normal daily activities such as swimming and

28  easily going up or down stairs, and

29         WHEREAS, mediation between Metro-Dade County and Ms.

30  Quintana took place on April 20, 1998, and produced an

31  agreement to settle the matter for $575,000, and

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999        (NP)                         SB 6
    32-37A-99




  1         WHEREAS, the county subsequently approved that

  2  settlement and, on May 18, 1998, the parties entered into a

  3  stipulation of settlement embodying the mediation agreement,

  4  and

  5         WHEREAS, the stipulation of settlement specified that

  6  the county would, by May 28, 1998, pay to Ana Quintana-Marquez

  7  and Juan Marquez, her husband, the sum of $200,000, which is

  8  the statutory limit payable without a claim bill, and

  9         WHEREAS, the remaining sum payable to Mr. and Mrs.

10  Marquez is $375,000, NOW, THEREFORE,

11

12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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14         Section 1.  The facts stated in the preamble to this

15  act are found and declared to be true.

16         Section 2.  Metro-Dade County is authorized and

17  directed to compensate Ana Quintana-Marquez and Juan Marquez,

18  her husband, in the amount of $375,000 out of funds of the

19  county not otherwise appropriated, for injuries and damages

20  sustained as a result of a collision between a Metro-Dade

21  police car and a vehicle operated by Ms. Quintana.

22         Section 3.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

23  law.

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