MOTOR VEHICLE

PALM BEACH CIRCUIT COURT

A jury awarded a college student $250,000 after a car accident which ended his athletic career.

In 2014, Bruce Bechtel, 18, was driving on Lantana Road when he was rear-ended by a truck. He claimed damage to spinal discs, which led to fusion surgery for two vertebrae. Bechtel was a scholarship athlete pitching for his college's baseball team. He never returned to baseball and was diagnosed with depression. Bechtel sued truck driver Ronald Ohman and truck owner All Natural Pools & Spas Inc.

The defense argued Bechtel's injuries were overstated and the surgery was not needed. Moreover, Bechtel had a prior back injury and two previous car accidents. The jury ruled Bechtel's injuries were permanent and caused by Ohman.

Case: Bechtel v. Ohman

Case No.: 50-2016-CA-012454-XXXX-MB

Plaintiffs attorneys: Richard Rosenblum and Kurt Thompson, Freeman Injury Law, West Palm Beach

Defense attorney: Nicholas Maniotis, Flanagan & Maniotis, West Palm Beach