Miami, FL (October 30, 2017) – Late Friday night, following a 5-day civil court trial, a Miami-Dade jury awarded John Souza nearly $1.57 million. The trial stemmed from a lawsuit Souza, an Atlanta resident, filed after suffering injuries to his spine following a car 
accident on October 20, 2014. Souza and his wife, Anh, were traveling north on Biscayne Boulevard when another driver violated the right-of-way and collided into their car just off NW 35th Street.
The defendants, CH Global Construction who owned the vehicle, admitted the crash was their fault but also said the Souza was traveling too fast for the conditions. Souza, who was in town for a fitness competition, did not seek medical attention until he went back home to Atlanta the next day.
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Haggard Client Injuries, Trial Challenges
Souza suffered 2 herniated discs in his lumbar spine. The defense argued the herniations were pre-existing. John also suffered from cluster/migraine headaches after the accident despite no objective findings in his cervical spine. He went through a lumbar discectomy 2 1/2 years after the accident and had also been receiving radio frequency ablation to the cervical spine to help with his headaches. The defendants claimed that all of the treatment was either unnecessary or related to the accident.
Souza’s attorney, Douglas McCarron of the Coral Gables-based Haggard Law Firm said a major issue in the case was a plethora of photos on social media where his client could be seen traveling all over the world and enjoying himself with his wife. “In the face of those photos, we explained to the jury that the medical treatment John was receiving allowed him to live a normal life. We asked for his past and future medical bills so John can continue to live his life. We also told the jury that if they awarded the medical bills, that the Souzas were not interested in pain and suffering.” Haggard Law Associate Attorney Pedro Echarte worked with McCarron to deliver this verdict for Souza.
The jury came back with its decision at 10PM Friday night.
