House Bill hb0671

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 671

        By Representative Meadows






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Escambia County; providing

  3         for the relief of Bronwen Dodd; authorizing and

  4         directing the District School Board of Escambia

  5         County to compensate Bronwen Dodd for personal

  6         injuries that she suffered due to the

  7         negligence of an employee of the Escambia

  8         County School Board; providing an effective

  9         date.

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11         WHEREAS, on the afternoon of March 24, 1997, an

12  accident involving an automobile and a school bus occurred at

13  the intersection of Summit Boulevard and Goya Drive in

14  Escambia County, and

15         WHEREAS, on the afternoon of March 24, 1997, Bronwen

16  Dodd was driving a 1988 Honda east on Summit Boulevard, and a

17  driver employed by the Escambia County School Board was

18  driving a school bus west on Summit Boulevard, and

19         WHEREAS, the driver of the school bus had stopped and

20  turned left in order to go south on Goya Drive, and

21         WHEREAS, as the school bus was turning south onto Goya

22  Drive, it struck Bronwen Dodd's Honda, causing that vehicle to

23  collide with another car that was stopped on Goya Drive, and

24         WHEREAS, a court subsequently found that the school bus

25  driver had violated the right-of-way in making the turn, and

26         WHEREAS, as a result of the accident, Bronwen Dodd

27  suffered severe injuries, including: a closed-head injury

28  (with loss of consciousness); basilar skull, temporal, and

29  sinus fractures; a fractured mandible; cranial nerve injury;

30  significant dental injuries with multiple avulsions of her

31  left incisor, her left medial incisor, maxillary teeth, and

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 671

    740-118-02






  1  canines; bilateral pneumothoraces; a punctured lower lip; a

  2  lacerated tongue; multiple lacerations to her arm, face, and

  3  lower extremities; and optical and auditory damage, and

  4         WHEREAS, those injuries necessitated extensive medical

  5  treatment, rehabilitation, and restorative treatments, and

  6         WHEREAS, litigation relating to this accident was begun

  7  and, on May 21, 1999, a final judgment in the amount of

  8  $340,999.75 was entered against the Escambia County School

  9  Board, and

10         WHEREAS, after two unsuccessful attempts at mediation,

11  both parties agreed to participate in binding arbitration,

12  which took place on December 18, 2000, and

13         WHEREAS, on December 20, 2000, the arbitration panel

14  awarded Bronwen Dodd $275,000, which did not include any award

15  for past medical expenses, and

16         WHEREAS, after the arbitrators assessed 20 percent

17  negligence to Bronwen Dodd, her award was reduced to $220,000,

18  and

19         WHEREAS, the school board will pay to Bronwen Dodd the

20  sum of $100,000, pursuant to the limits set forth in section

21  768.28, Florida Statutes, and Bronwen Dodd is, therefore,

22  petitioning the Legislature for further reimbursement in the

23  amount of $240,999.75, NOW, THEREFORE,

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

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

28  act are found and declared to be true.

29         Section 2.  The District School Board of Escambia

30  County is authorized and directed to appropriate from funds of

31  the county not otherwise appropriated and to draw a warrant in

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 671

    740-118-02






  1  the amount of $240,999.75, which amount includes statutory

  2  attorney's fees and costs, payable to Bronwen Dodd as

  3  compensation for injuries and damages sustained by Bronwen

  4  Dodd as a result of the negligence of an employee of the

  5  Escambia County School Board. Such amount shall be paid in

  6  addition to the $100,000 payable pursuant to section 768.28,

  7  Florida Statutes.

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

  9  law.

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