Maegan Bridwell, Kimberly Wald, and Michael Haggard of The Haggard Law Firm secured a $4.25 Million settlement in a highly contested Florida pedestrian auto car case that underscores a critical principle of personal injury law: a person who causes a car crash is responsible if the injured person is hurt further while getting normal medical treatment for those crash injuries.
The case presented numerous challenges, including disputes over medical causation, alleged gaps in treatment, and attempts to minimize plaintiff’s injuries based on her outwardly active lifestyle. Despite these obstacles, the Haggard Law Firm was able to obtain a settlement that held the Defendant fully responsible and accountable.
A Pedestrian Struck in a Marked Crosswalk
On September 21, 2019, Carlie Howard, then a college student at the University of Tampa, was lawfully walking in a marked crosswalk when she was struck by a vehicle driven by Bonnie Sonnenfeld.
As a direct result of the collision, Carlie suffered injuries to her neck and back. Like many young accident victims, she worked diligently to manage her pain while continuing to pursue her education, navigate the social pressures of being a college student and pursuing her dream career – all of which the defense attempted to weaponize against her throughout litigation.
Years of Conservative Care and a Life Altering Complication
Despite extensive conservative care, Carlie continued to experience cervical pain stemming from the 2019 crash. In June 2024, after exhausting noninvasive treatment options, her treating physicians recommended an epidural steroid injection — a commonly accepted and medically reasonable treatment for chronic cervical spine injuries caused by trauma.
Tragically, the procedure resulted in an anterior horn injury, permanently altering her independence, career prospects, and quality of life.
The Core Legal Issue: Responsibility for Subsequent Medical Negligence
The central question in this case was not whether the epidural injection carried risk—but who bears legal responsibility when a medical complication arises from treatment required by a defendant’s negligence.
Under Florida law, including the doctrine articulated in Stuart v. Hertz, a negligent driver is responsible not only for the injuries sustained in the crash itself, but also for additional harm caused by reasonable medical care obtained because of those injuries. The law does not allow an at-fault driver to avoid liability simply because the full extent of the harm unfolds later or through medical intervention.
The Haggard Law Firm argued that Carlie’s medical complication was not a separate or unrelated event — it flowed directly from medical treatment necessitated by the injuries she sustained in the pedestrian collision. because of injuries caused by the defendant’s negligence in the auto accident.
Defense Tactics: Denial of Causation
The defense attempted to evade responsibility by:
- Characterizing Carlie’s original injuries as temporary soft-tissue complaints
- Arguing that the epidural injection was unrelated to the 2019 auto accident
- Pointing to alleged gaps in treatment
- Referencing a subsequent motor vehicle accident
- Highlighting Carlie’s outward appearance of an active lifestyle, despite documented and ongoing pain
These arguments were designed to break the causal chain between the auto accident and the ultimate harm.
How The Haggard Law Firm Proved Full Liability
The attorneys met those challenges head-on. Through detailed medical records, testimony from individuals that lived with Carlie throughout her time in college, expert testimony, and a careful reconstruction of Carlie’s treatment course, the firm demonstrated that:
- The epidural injection was medically appropriate and reasonable
- It was recommended after years of conservative care failed
- It was undertaken solely because of injuries caused by the 2019 crash
By clearly establishing a causal link between the original injuries and the treatment that further caused harm to Carile, The Haggard Law Firm held the defendant accountable for the entire scope of harm, including the consequences of medical care required because of the original negligence.
Why This Auto Accident Case Matters
This case serves as an important reminder that defendants cannot evade accountability by dissecting timelines, scrutinizing resilience, or criticizing injured people for attempting to live full lives despite pain.
When an injured person seeks reasonable care for injuries caused by a crash, the at-fault party remains responsible for the outcomes — even when those outcomes are catastrophic.
Advocates for Seriously Injured Auto Accident Victims
The Haggard Law Firm has a long history of representing victims of serious auto accidents, pedestrian crashes, and catastrophic injuries throughout Florida and nationwide. This case reflects the firm’s commitment to taking on complex high-stakes cases involving difficult causation issues, particularly where defendants attempt to shift blame onto the injured person or the medical care required to treat crash-related harm. If you or a loved one has suffered life-altering injuries in an auto accident, The Haggard Law Firm stands ready to fight for full accountability and justice.
