$1,825,948 verdict for fighting hurdles in the legal process
On March 22, 2009, Kazandra Bern’s life changed forever. Dafne Acevedo was not paying attention as she drove through the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 135th Street in Miami causing a violent collision with Kazandra Bern’s vehicle. The impact shattered her leg resulting in numerous On March 22, 2009, Kazandra Bern’s life changed forever. Dafne Acevedo was not paying attention as she drove through the intersection of Biscayne Boulevard and Northeast 135th Street in Miami causing a violent collision with Kazandra Bern’s vehicle. The impact shattered her leg resulting in numerous surgeries and a fused ankle.
Dafne Acevedo was insured by United Auto Insurance Company with only $10,000 in liability coverage. Shortly after the accident, United Auto Insurance Company sent Lytal, Reiter, Smith, Ivey & Fronrath a letter con rming they were not accepting liability on the part of their insured, Dafne Acevedo. As a result, Lake H, Lytal, III., led a lawsuit in Miami to obtain justice for Kazandra Bern.
The case rst came to trial in March of 2012. Mr. Lytal obtained a verdict of $1,171,053 which was reversed by the Third District Court of Appeals due to error by the trial Judge. The next two trials resulted in mistrials. The nal trial took place in Miami in February 2016 resulting in a verdict of $1,825,948. Lake “Trey” Lytal, III and Nelson Baez spent three weeks in trial to nally prove the insurance company was wrong in denying liability. The $1,825,948 verdict is a good example of how courageous a victim can be in overcoming hurdles, not just with her severe injury but hurdles in the legal process requiring her to ght through four trials to obtain justice.
