City Pays $ 62,500 To Settle Florida State Wrongful Death Action Brought By Widow Of Bicyclist Catastrophically Injured By Collision In Bicycle Lane
In the morning of March 1, 2012, Cecil Geoffrey Vining was seriously injured when his bicycle was struck by a pick-up truck driven by Candido Burgos. At the time of the collision, Vining was riding westbound with companion bicyclists in the bicycle lane of Lake Hollingsworth Drive in Lakeland, FL. Burgos, who was travelling eastbound on that same road, initiated a left turn toward to the entrance to the Lakeland Yacht Club and struck Vining. Vining suffered an acute brain injury and was left a quadriplegic. He died later that year.
On Feb. 14, 2015, Theresa Vining filed an action against the City of Lakeland in the Florida Circuit Court for Polk County. Vining, who brought the action individually and as personal representative of the estate of Cecil Geoffrey Vining, asserted claims for loss of consortium, wrongful death, negligence, and gross negligence against Lakeland. Vining maintained that the city did not keep, operate, and maintain the bicycle path in a safe condition, that it was a hazardous condition, and that it was not safely planned or implemented.
According to a March 6, 2016 news report from The Ledger.com, Vining had reached a settlement with the City. With sovereign immunity and a $ 300,000.00 cap on damages in issue, Vining agreed to accept $ 62,500.00 in full settlement of her claims.
For more insight on the case, including counsel information, see Theresa Vining, individually, and as Personal Representative of the Estate of Cecil Geoffrey Vining, deceased v. City of Lakeland, a Florida entity, 2016 Jury Verdicts LEXIS 1611.