Miami Injury Lawyer Blog
In May 2007, a twenty-three-year-old Palm Coast man was killed while riding his motorcycle down Clyde Morris Boulevard. Brian Heikkila died when a car struck his motorcycle as he made his way down the boulevard in Daytona Beach. According to the accident report and court documents, Heikkila was riding his bike near Halifax Health Medical Center when Michael Hemphill failed to yield the right of way and his Ford Mustang crashed into Heikkila’s motorcycle. Heikkila died from injuries related to the accident. Heikkila left behind a young daughter, Ryleigh.
Heikkila’s family filed a negligence suit against Hemphill and sought damages for pain, suffering and mental anguish. This week a jury awarded Ryleigh $1 million for damages for the loss of her father. The jury also awarded Heikkila’s parents $500,000 each and $798,000 for economic damages, including $4,200 for funeral expenses. The total award was $2.8 million. The family expressed their satisfaction with the award through their attorney, but stated that no amount of money will bring their loved one back. The family attorney also stated that the jury awarded double the amount request for Ryleigh.
Jury awards $2.8 million to biker’s family , www.news-journalonline.com March 30, 2011.