Hickey Law Firm, P.A. Gets Results

$12,000,000.00

Adkins v. Florida Keys Dive Center: award for brain injury

Dive boat backs over two of its own divers causing head and brain injuries.

$10,576,717.50

Maritime accident leading to spinal cord injury

Ship’s sudden movement caused a bread trolley to fall over and strike crewmember’s back. As a result, crewmember suffered an injury to spinal cord which led to central pain syndrome, a permanent condition which is difficult to control and medicate.

$9,000,000.00

Doe (Passenger) v. Cruise Line: award for sexual assault

Crew member assaults and batters and sexually batters Passenger in cabin.

$8,200,000.00

Slip and fall leading
to amputation

Slip and fall resulting in complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) requiring leg amputation above the knee.

$8,000,000.00

Puga v. Faneuil Inc.: car accident leading to paralysis

Van ran SUV off expressway causing driver of SUV to be quadriplegic. Officer at scene reported that our client caused the accident.

$7,100,000.00

Passenger v. Singlescruise.com: excursion accident leading to paralysis

Cruise organizer sponsored an excursion which was an excursion in Cozumel which was a party with unlimited drinking and diving from a seawall into the ocean. Client dove in, hit his head, and became a quadriplegic.

$6,260,000.00

Doe v. Shipping line: wrongful death claim

Obtained award for Estate in wrongful death claim.

$6,000,000.00

Slip and fall
accident

Slip and fall in condo building. Plaintiff suffered several disc herniations and a complex tear of the meniscus of the left knee, rotator cuff tear with impingement. These injuries required multiple surgeries.

$6,000,000.00

Doe (Passenger) v. Cruise Line: fall accident leading to brain injury

Cruise ship orchestra platform lowered then Master of Ceremonies directs passenger to walk across stage and into orchestra pit. Passenger suffers massive internal injuries and traumatic brain injury.

$5,087,699.93

Fatal car accident

Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal on September 5, 2018 entered a PCA (per curiam affirmance) of the trial court’s order. That court on October 17, 2018 denied Defendant’s Motion for entry of an option making the PCA final. The verdict stands, and the insurance company was required to pay the verdict amount plus post judgment interest for a total of $5,087,699.93

Hickey said:

This may not be the largest verdict in the world. But it is the largest verdict in the world for an 89-year-old woman who was involved in a car crash and died 4 1/2 years later of unrelated causes. The case then became a “survivor action” which is for the pain and suffering of a woman who never set foot in the courtroom and whose deposition was not taken. She was brought to life in the courtroom through the photos of Maria “the energizer bunny” before the crash, the medical records, and the testimony of Maria’s daughter and granddaughter. I am proud of the result and happy for my clients.

Read More

$5,000,000.00

Medical malpractice resulting in wrongful death of passenger

Obtained award for Estate in wrongful death case.

$4,750,000.00

Medical malpractice
claim

Medical malpractice resulting in septic shock, organ failure, and a stroke among other life-altering conditions.

$3,389,000.00

Jury award in case against Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

A jury in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court awarded $3,384,185 to a former cruise ship first officer against Royal Caribbean Cruise Line for claims of negligence and unseaworthiness.

$2,998,000.00

Slip and fall accident on Carnival Cruise ship

Federal Judge Ursula Ungaro awarded $2,998,155.70 to a Carnival cruise ship passenger who was injured in a slip and fall accident.

$2,850,000.00

Cruise ship accident resulting in brain injury

Personal injury case on cruise ship resulting in post-concussive syndrome, complex partial epilepsy, and seizures.

$2,590,000.00

Jury verdict pedestrian
injury case

Jury verdict against the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Central Parking for the negligence of a valet driver pinning a pedestrian, a lawyer from Brazil, between cars.

$2,500,000.00

Brooks v. Hendry Boatyard: maritime accident leading to burn injury

Awarded in a maritime law case in Tampa, Florida, to a seaman from Honduras who suffered burns on his hand and arm when a welder in a shipyard lit paint on fire and then spilled it on the seaman.

$2,500,000.00

Plaintiff v. Villagewalk of Wellington Homeowners Association Inc. et al

Obtained award for client in cases against the HOA.

$2,400,000.00

Sexual assault
claim

Crewmember sexually assaulted passenger.

$1,900,000.00

Slip and fall
accident

Slip and fall resulting in fractured knee requiring surgery with plate and screws.

$1,733,000.00

Goodfellow v. Roudhouse Grill: jury verdict in premises liability claim

Jury verdict against a Roadhouse Grill restaurant in favor of a woman who injured her hand on a bench, requiring multiple hand surgeries.

$1,700,000.00

Doe v. Cruise line: sexual assault
claim

Crewmembers sexually assault passenger.

$1,500,000.00

Slip and fall
accident

Slip and fall resulting in fracture of wrist and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) requiring multiple surgeries.

$1,500,000.00

Wrongful death
claim

Wrongful death on cargo ship

$1,500,000.00

Doe v. Shipping line: wrongful death

Obtained award on behalf of Estate in wrongful death claim.

$1,295,000.00

Doe v. Cruise line: cruise ship accident leading to injury

Bench collapsed and caused back injury to passenger requiring surgery.

$1,100,000.00

Car accident
injury

Awarded in a car accident lawsuit in Miami, Florida, to the driver of a van hit by a tow truck.

$1,000,000.00

Passenger v. Cruise line: slip and fall leading to brain injury

Slip and fall resulting in occipital skull fracture, intracranial bleed, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

$1,000,000.00

Passenger v. Cruise line: sexual assault claim

Sexual assault of passenger by crewmember

$900,000.00

Car accident claim against University of Miami

Awarded in a personal injury lawsuit against the University of Miami in Miami, Florida, to a University of Miami student who sustained multiple orthopedic injuries after she was hit by an uninsured motorist while she was participating in a scavenger hunt organized by the university.

$900,000.00

Bello v. Pioneer Shipping et. al.: construction site accident leading to crush injuries

Plaintiff was struck by a falling crane boom and cable resulting in multiple fractures and injuries throughout his body. His right shoulder, arm, and hand were crushed.

$885,000.00

Medical malpractice involving fatal misdiagnosis

Received in a medical malpractice case against a cardiologist who misdiagnosed a heart attack, which resulted in the patient’s death.

$850,000.00

Doe v. Cruise Line: injury claim stemming from chemical exposure

Crewmember suffered back injury and broncospasm due to chemical exposure.

$800,000.00

Passenger v. Cruise line:
slip and fall case

Slip and fall resulting in fractured leg and severe injury to right ankle.

$800,000.00

Cornelius v. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: fall-related injuries

Settlement on the final day of trial for a cruise ship passenger who suffered injury from a loose seat in a cruise ship spa. The passenger was seated on a stool at the spa when, because of negligent maintenance and inspection, the loose seat came off, causing her to fall 4 to 5 feet to the ceramic floor and suffer through nearly 8 years of extensive medical treatment for her back, as well as what is likely a lifetime of chronic back pain.

$785,000.00

Medical malpractice
claim

Obtained award in medical malpractice claim.

$750,000.00

Slip and fall
accident

Plaintiff fell off stage while participating in a charity event.

$750,000.00

Car accident
claim

Obtained award for car accident case.

$700,000.00

Sexual assault
case

Sexual assault resulting in aggravation of serious psychological and psychiatric condition.

$700,000.00

Cruise ship excursion
accident

Cruise ship excursion bus accident.

$650,000.00

Slip and fall accident on
cruise ship

Received for a slip and fall on a cruise ship, which resulted in permanent mid-carpal ligament damage to the right hand of a chiropractor.

$650,000.00

Slip and fall accident
claim

Slip and fall resulting in fractured arm among other injuries.

$650,000.00

Slip and fall accident
claim

Awarded in a personal injury lawsuit against Sunrise Music Theater in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to a woman who injured her knee in a slip and fall, which required arthroscopy and a knee replacement.

$600,000.00

Martinez v. Florida Power & Light Co.: fatal poisoning on construction site

Wrongful death settlement for a construction accident involving hydrogen sulfide poisoning, confined space and OSHA violations. Martinez v. Florida Power & Light Co., Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, case number 04-2817 CA 21. Florida Power & Light Co. (FP&L) owns and is responsible for maintaining the manholes into which it runs cable. That includes the manhole at 18th Street and Bay Road in Miami Beach, Florida. On October 10, 2002, employees of a subcontractor of Florida Power & Light Co. went into the manhole not realizing that the manhole was filled with hydrogen sulfide gas. At high levels of concentration, the gas numbs the olfactory nerves that allow us to have the sense of smell, and the hydrogen sulfide becomes undetectable without gas detection equipment. The men apparently failed to use gas detectors or other required safety equipment. FP&L also failed to provide these men with the safety training and the information on the incidence of hydrogen sulfide in manholes in Miami Beach, which FP&L provides its own employees. FP&L utilizes the same subcontractor on a regular basis. One of the men on the job went into the manhole. The supervisor (and person in charge of safety on the job), Osvaldo Martinez, went down to rescue his buddy. Both of them died in the manhole. The estate of the decedent Martinez recovered $600,000, even though Martinez was the supervisor on the job. FP&L had a duty to the employees of its contractors to keep the workplace safe.

$600,000.00

Slip and fall on
cruise ship

Cruise passenger slip and fall resulting in torn meniscus.

$582,500.00

Slip and fall accident
claims

Slip and fall resulting in tear of the meniscus of right knee, injured cervical discs with nerve root impingement, and back injuries.

$520,000.00

Meagher V. Able Sanitation Inc and Key Biscayne Beach Club, Inc.: slip and fall accident

Client fell down the stairs.

$512,882.00

Cruise ship excursion
accident

Cruise ship excursion bus accident.

$500,000.00

Construction site accident
claim

Awarded in a personal injury lawsuit in Miami, Florida, to a Honduran maintenance man injured by a ditch digger that jumped out of a trench and climbed up his legs. Plastic surgeries required.

$500,000.00

Medical malpractice case involving unnecessary surgery

Awarded in Miami, Florida, in a medical malpractice case in which the hospital misdiagnosed a woman who suffered from Lupus and performed unnecessary surgery on her.

$500,000.00

Wrongful death
case

Cruise passenger wrongful death.

$500,000.00

Medical malpractice
case

Obtained award in medical malpractice case.

$500,000.00

Defective equipment leading to personal injury

Faulty rental equipment resulting in permanent injuries.

CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Maritime accident leading to traumatic brain injury

Seaman receives traumatic brain injury, open skull fracture. John Doe v. ABC Corp. and XYZ Corp. The plaintiff was a crewmember of a small fishing boat in Key Largo. The boat was engaged in fishing with a net. The captain of the boat threw a lead weight into the water to scare the fish into the net. Instead of going into the water, the weight hit the plaintiff on the side of the head, crushed in his skull and threw him into the water. Plaintiff was pulled out of the water, administered CPR and taken to shore, from where he was flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital’s trauma center. He underwent a craniectomy (brain surgery), and then seven months later, he underwent surgery to apply a plate to the fracture area. The surgeries were performed by Dr. Phillip Villanueva. The defendants contended that the plaintiff was employed by a small company that had no insurance and no assets, except for the fishing boats. We plead and obtained documents that indicated there was a joint venture between this company and the company that owned the fishing boat. The issue on damages included the extent of the brain injury. Both sides had retained neuropsychologists and neurologists.

CONFIDENTIAL SETTLEMENT

Premises liability claim for traumatic brain injury

Traumatic brain injury involving a closed head injury with no loss of consciousness and no economic loss. Jane Doe and John Doe v. South Florida Stadium Corp. (Pro Player Stadium). Jane Doe was with her husband standing at a window to purchase tickets at Pro Player Stadium when an employee of the stadium pulled down a metal sign from above where the plaintiff was standing. The sign hit the head of the plaintiff. She went for treatment by the emergency medical team onsite. There was no loss of consciousness. Plaintiff suffered headaches constantly after that. She was treated by a neurologist and by a neuropsychologist. Plaintiff was starting a new job, coincidentally, the day after the accident. At that job, she made more money than she did prior to the accident.