Paralyzed Girl Settles Case Against Beer Vendor for $25 Million

Nine years ago, a two-year old girl was tragically injured in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver.  Antonia Verni was paralyzed and rendered a quadriplegic as a result of a drunk driving accident.  The man behind the wheel, Daniel Lanzaro, who slammed his pick up truck in to the Verni family’s vehicle, had a blood alcohol level of 0.226, nearly three times the legal limit of 0.08.   Lanzano admitted to having 16 beers at a football game.  The Verni family sued Aramark, which manages the beer sales at the stadium.
A jury returned a verdict in favor of the family and against Aramark for $105 million.  The court of appeals reversed and remanded the case for a new trial.  A judge recently unsealed the settlement and disclosed it was $25 million.
This case highlights the importance of finding and holding all negligent parties responsible.  Some attorneys may have taken this case and seen it simply as a case against a drunk driver, who probably only had a limited amount of insurance.   This type of thinking would be short-sighted.  Lawyers have to be willing and able to look past the obvious and determine who was really at fault.  Here, it was the beer vendor's employees that served Lanzaro when he was visibly intoxicated.  The employees violated numerous policies and procedures.  Hopefully, this settlement will provide the lifetime of car that little Antonia needs.

hans