FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A jury awarded a woman $250,000 Thursday night in a lawsuit against the city of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County court records show.
Rinda Mizelle, a North Carolina teacher, was vacationing in Fort Lauderdale and lying on the sand when a beach patrol SUV ran her over in April 2012.
"I felt something really hard and gripping grip hold of my lower body on the left side," Mizelle testified during a civil trial earlier this week.
Mizelle's attorney, John M. Phillips, said the city had offered to settle with Mizelli for $40,000 over the past several years, and as the trial approached the offer increased to $100,000.
The trial began Monday and the jury deliberated for a little more than three hours before reaching their decision about 8 p.m., Phillips said.
The city didn't release a statement about the case on Thursday night.