FL H3553

Palm Beach County School Board authorized to appropriate $994,034.30 to compensate Altavious Carter for injuries sustained in a December 15, 2005 school bus accident at the intersection of Forest Hill Boulevard and Olympia Boulevard.

Fourteen-year-old Carter suffered a broken neck at the C6 level, spinal cord flattening, and C6-7 interior subluxation after being struck by a school bus traveling 48.5 mph; bus driver Dennis Gratham was cited for careless driving.

Jury verdict on February 25, 2010 awarded Carter $1,094,034.30 in damages; the Palm Beach County School Board is obligated to pay the $100,000 statutory limit under Florida Statutes § 768.28, with this act providing the remaining $994,034.30.

Total attorney fees, lobbying fees, costs, and similar expenses relating to this claim may not exceed 25 percent of the total amount awarded.

The combined payment from the statutory limit and this appropriation constitutes sole compensation for all present and future claims arising from the accident.