Key West Car Accident Attorneys Help a 16 Year-Old Softball Star Struck By a Drunk Driver


Duval Street in Key West, Florida is famous for bars and restaurants such as Sloppy Joe’s and Margaritaville. Every year, the streets are closed to vehicular traffic for a carnival-like extravaganza full of locals and visitors who are there for one reason: to party. Unfortunately, our client, a 16 year-old high school student, found out the hard way what happens when people party too much and then get behind the wheel of a car.

She was crossing Duval Street in a cross-walk early one summer morning while jogging when a vehicle ran a red light and struck her at approximately 25 miles per hour. The impact caused her to be thrown approximately 20 feet from the accident site. There were many witnesses to the accident and two in particular were able to stop the Defendant who was trying to flee the scene on foot. The police arrived and noticed the Defendant smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. He was investigated on the scene for DUI and it was determined that his blood alcohol level was nearly twice the legal limit. In the meantime, EMS responded to the scene and rushed our client to the hospital ER where she was treated for many scrapes and bruises. Luckily, x-rays were taken and were negative for fractures. Our client reported being extremely sore but was able to be discharged from the hospital that day.

Key West Auto Accident Victim Suffers Spinal Injury

The following day, our client reported extreme pain in the lower back area. Worried about her daughter’s potential injuries, our client’s mother called the Attorneys Dell and Schaefer for help. Our client was immediately referred to a board certified orthopedic surgeon who ordered an MRI of her lower back (Lumbar spine). The MRI revealed a large disk herniation which appeared to be the cause of her pain. Our young client was very concerned about her future as a softball player. She had made the varsity softball team as a high school freshman and was well on her way to getting a scholarship to play softball in college. She was afraid her injury would potentially ruin her softball career. She was prescribed several pain relieving injections which helped alleviate her painful symptoms but unfortunately, couldn’t resolve the disk herniations.

16 Year-Old DUI Victim Gets Spinal Surgery

After several months of treatment, it was determined that our client would need to undergo a lumbar discectomy (surgery) in order to resolve her lumbar disk herniation. She was worried about the procedure, but more worried about her future ability to not only play softball, but to live a pain-free life. She decided to undergo the procedure which took approximately one hour and was performed on an out-patient basis. Several weeks later she reported feeling “great” and was able to re-join the softball team at mid-season. She was able to play out the remainder of the season without any significant pain and recently reported being back up to her normal playing shape by the following school year.

Key West DUI Victim Gets Settlement For Her Injuries

Shortly after her surgery, the Key West auto accident attorneys at the Law Office of Dell and Schaefer were able to settle our client’s case for an undisclosed amount of money. Our client’s settlement enabled her to receive compensation for her past and present pain and suffering as well as her past and present medical bills.

She reports being granted a scholarship to play softball at a prestigious university and is very excited about her prospects. Though she was very worried about the potential negative ramifications of her surgery, she has stated that she would not be able to play softball and thus, would not be going to college on a scholarship without it.

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