Senate Bill sb0008

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    Florida Senate - 2003        (NP)  (Corrected Copy)       SB 8

    By Senator Lawson





    6-14-03

  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 Ms. Dodd for personal

  6         injuries that she suffered due to the

  7         negligence of an employee of the school board;

  8         providing for attorney's fees and costs;

  9         providing an effective date.

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

12  automobile-school bus accident occurred at the intersection of

13  Summit Boulevard and Goya Drive in Escambia County, and

14         WHEREAS, Ms. Bronwen Dodd was driving a 1988 Honda

15  eastwardly on Summit Boulevard, and a driver employed by the

16  Escambia County School Board was driving the school bus

17  westwardly on Summit Boulevard, and

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

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

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

21  it struck Ms. Dodd's Honda, causing that vehicle to collide

22  with another car that was stopped on Goya Drive, and

23         WHEREAS, a court subsequently found that the driver of

24  the school bus violated the right-of-way in making the turn,

25  and

26         WHEREAS, as a result of the accident, Ms. Dodd suffered

27  severe injuries, including: a closed-head injury (with loss of

28  consciousness); basilar skull, temporal, and sinus fractures;

29  a fractured mandible; cranial nerve injury; significant dental

30  injuries with multiple avulsions of her left incisor, her left

31  medial incisor, maxillary teeth, and canines; bilateral

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    Florida Senate - 2003        (NP)  (Corrected Copy)       SB 8
    6-14-03




 1  pneumothoraces; a punctured lower lip; a lacerated tongue;

 2  multiple lacerations to her arm, face, and lower extremities;

 3  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, after two unsuccessful attempts at mediation, both

 8  parties agreed to participate in binding arbitration, which

 9  took place on December 18, 2000, and

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

11  awarded Ms. Dodd $275,000, which did not include any award for

12  past medical expenses, and

13         WHEREAS, after the arbitrators assessed 20 percent

14  negligence to Ms. Dodd, her award was reduced to $220,000, and

15         WHEREAS, a final judgment in the amount of $340,999.75

16  was entered against the Escambia County School Board on May

17  21, 1999, and

18         WHEREAS, the school board will pay to Ms. Dodd the sum

19  of $100,000, which is the statutory limit on waivers of

20  sovereign immunity, and Ms. Dodd is, therefore, petitioning

21  the Legislature for further reimbursement in the amount of

22  $240,999.75, NOW, THEREFORE,

23  

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

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

27  act are found and declared to be true.

28         Section 2.  The District School Board of Escambia

29  County is authorized and directed to appropriate from funds of

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

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

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    Florida Senate - 2003        (NP)  (Corrected Copy)       SB 8
    6-14-03




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

 2  compensation for injuries and damages sustained by Ms. Dodd as

 3  a result of the negligence of an employee of the school board.

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

 5  law.

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