Florida Utility Companies to Pay Florida Man Injured by Fallen Utility Pole

A Daytona Beach, FL jury has awarded a Florida man $960,000 in damages after he suffered a severe back injury when a utility pole fell on his SUV in 2005.  The utility pole owned by Florida Power & Light (FPL) was found to be rotten after it snapped under the strain of the tug on a low-hanging cable wire by the top of a truck.

The lawsuit alleged the pole that fell on the man’s car was over 50 years old; however, FPL claims the poles are inspected every six years.  Cable communications provider Bright House Networks also uses the poles, and a Bright House cable was what snared the truck.

The lawsuit claimed FPL did not inform Bright House of “changes to the hardware — including a heavy conductor that was added — when a new replacement pole was lashed to it.”  The jury found FPL  45 percent at fault for the accident, Bright House was found 40 percent responsible and the truck driver was 15 percent responsible.

The injured man has had to undergo various surgeries to put steel rods and screws in his back.

About Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys
Munley Law is a Pennsylvania accident and injury law firm that represents car accident victims and their families throughout the state of Pennsylvania and the Northeast, including those injured in accidents that involve speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, fatigued driving, aggressive driving and careless driving in hazardous weather conditions. The Pennsylvania personal injury law firm’s additional practice areas include trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, toxic chemicals, workplace injuries, nursing home litigation and other serious accidents. To contact the law firm,use the firm’s online contact form.