Atlanta car accident lawyer Bryce Angell recently helped a pair of car accident victims secure a $54 million dollar jury verdict against Avis Budget Group, Avis Rent a Car, LLC, and related defendants.
The cases were brought before the Gwinnett County court after a pair of female friends suffered traumatic injuries resulting from being crushed by an out-of-control stolen Avis Rent a Car vehicle operated by an Avis employee.
The victim’s accident cases were heard separately but were consolidated for discovery purposes by our Toccoa car accident lawyers.
An Avis agency in Atlanta hired an employee by the name of Byron Perry and never conducted a criminal background check on him.
If the Avis agency, the manager of the Avis agency where he worked, or the security manager had conducted a background check, they would have learned that Perry was a felon with five convictions on his record.
Not only that, but Perry was a suspect in a theft that occurred at his workplace.
Despite this, Perry remained employed.
Perry stole a Ford Edge from the lot of his place of employment and sped through a residential area, where he lost control of the vehicle and hit a wall at the edge of a park.
The two victims, Brianna Johnson and Adrienne Smith were each seriously injured in the accident.
Ms. Johnson, who was only 21 years old at the time, had been pinned by the vehicle to a fence during the accident, and she was rendered unconscious.
Her injuries included a fractured hip, a fractured pelvis, and a foot-long gash in her left thigh.
Ms. Johnson awoke while in the ambulance on her way to the hospital, her injuries causing her such pain that she screamed out, “I am going to die!” Her injuries required 19 surgeries and a 55-day stay in the hospital.
With the help of a skilled Atlanta personal injury lawyer, Ms. Johnson was able to file a personal injury lawsuit against multiple defendants that were liable to her for her injuries, including:
- Avis Rent a Car System, LLC, as a parent company of the Avis agency where Perry worked.
- Avis Budget Group, Inc., as a parent company of the Avis agency where Perry worked.
- CSYG, Inc, as the Avis agency where Perry worked.
- The Avis agency manager in charge of hiring Perry.
- The Avis security manager at the Avis agency where Perry worked.
In March, a Gwinnett County jury found Ms. Johnson to be entitled to $7 million dollars and found Avis 100% liable because the jury did not find that Johnson was entitled to recover damages from the Avis agency, the Avis agent manager, or the security manager.
In May the judge ordered Avis to pay the $7 million dollar jury award to Ms. Johnson. Ms. Johnson’s case is Johnson v. Avis Rent A Car System, LLC, et al., No. 15-C-04651-4.
Avis Accident Victims Need A Personal Injury Attorney On Their Side
With the help of a skilled personal injury attorney serving Atlanta, accident victims like Ms. Johnson are able to seek the financial compensation that they are due from those who are responsible for their injuries.
If this situation has happened to you, please contact the car accident attorneys at The Angell Law Firm, LLC, by calling (770) 217-4954 today.
You can also reach our car accident lawyers by filling out our online contact form.
Bryce is considered a highly esteemed trial lawyer and a passionate client advocate amongst his peers in the Atlanta legal community. Never afraid to go the extra mile for his clients, Bryce Angell works tirelessly to ensure that each client’s personal injury case gets the attention that it deserves.