Lawyers win $30M verdict in pedestrian injury case

TAMPA — Attorneys Christopher Codling and Robert Sparks, of Tampa law firm Givens Givens Sparks, won a $30 million verdict from a Tampa jury on behalf of their client, Stephanie Ming, who suffered permanent and debilitating brain damage after she was hit by a vehicle while walking on the side of a road six years ago.

According to a press release, Ming was walking on Christmas Eve 2011 when the side passenger mirror of a commercial pickup truck struck her in the back of the head at a speed of about 48 miles per hour. She was hospitalized and treated for a head injury, including seven staples at Tampa General Hospital.

Following the incident, Ming began to exhibit symptoms associated with a traumatic brain injury, including memory loss, confusion and other cognitive issues associated with head trauma.

The driver of the truck was a superintendent for Gerelco Traffic Controls Inc., an engineering and construction company based in Port. St. Lucie. According to the release, Gerelco denied any liability associated with the incident and also denied that Ming had suffered any permanent injuries or damages.

At the conclusion of a five-day jury trial in Hillsborough County, Gerelco accepted fault for the accident but continued to deny that Ming had suffered any permanent injuries, a stance that Codling, in the release, calls “troubling on many levels.”

The jury said it was awarding the $30 million to Ming for injuries and damages sustained, including past and future medical expenses, past and future pain and suffering, as well as the impact on her past and future quality of life.