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Jury Awards $60M to Paralyzed Girl's Kin
Jury Awards $60M to Paralyzed Girl's Kin
Associated Press
HACKENSACK, N.J. - A jury awarded $60 million Tuesday to the family of a girl paralyzed in a car wreck caused by a drunken football fan.
Ronald and Fazila Verni were headed home from a pumpkin-picking trip in 1999 with their 2-year-old daughter, Antonia, when their car was hit by a truck driven by Daniel Lanzaro, 34. Antonia was paralyzed from the neck down.
Lanzaro, whose blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, is serving a five-year prison term for vehicular assault.
The family sued Aramark, the Giants Stadium concessionaire, claiming vendors sold beers to Lanzaro even though he was clearly drunk and that Aramark fostered an atmosphere in which intoxicated patrons were served.
Aramark lawyer Keith Harris did not immediately return a message Tuesday seeking comment. During his closing statement, he told jurors it was Lanzaro's decision to drive drunk that caused the crash.
A judge previously dismissed the Vernis' complaints against the National Football League, the Giants and the Sports and Exposition Authority, ruling they were not liable.
The NFL forbids beer sales after the third quarter; the Giants shut down beer vendors at the start of the third quarter. The stadium also mandates that fans can only buy two beers at a time - a rule Lanzaro sidestepped by tipping the vendor $10, allowing him to buy six beers.
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