2. Public Event Security Negligence
Our husband and wife clients were guests at the Wild Hog Jamboree and annual barbeque festival held near the 40 mile bend on the Tamiami Trail by the Everglades Conservation and Sportsman's Club. After accepting a ride on an ATV not designed for passengers the driver who had been drinking lost control of the vehicle and slid in mud into the side of a parked truck causing severe leg fractures requiring surgeries. As the third law firm to represent the plaintiffs we re-focused the case as an inadequate security premises liability claim. Extensive discovery revealed that the drinking driver's husband was the untrained chief of security for the event; the ATV was specially designated for security use at the event; and club rules for operation of ATV's during the barbeque were probably violated. As the trial date neared our clients accepted a settlement offer of $800,000.