BROOKSVILLE: Hernando County Jury Returns $330 Million Verdict for Teen Killed in DUI Manslaughter

In one of the biggest jury verdicts of its kind, a Hernando County jury awarded more than $330 million in civil damages today to the mother of a 13-year-old girl that was killed by a drunk driver in April 2007. For the complete story, check out today’s St. Pete Times article.

In an effort to send a message to future drunk drivers, Angela Stone filed a civil lawsuit against Christopher Marcone for his role in a fatal crash that occurred on the night of April 12, 2007, when Shelby Taylor Hagman was riding in a minivan with her grandparents. According to authorities, Marcone’s Dodge pickup truck ran a stop sign in a residential neighborhood in eastern Hernando County and plowed directly into the right side of the minivan. Shelby died the next day from injuries sustained in the crash.

Marcone’s blood alcohol level (calculator) was .207, more than twice the level at which a driver is presumed to be impaired. Marcone, 27, is currently serving a 13-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to DUI Manslaughter and three related charges in the death of Shelby Taylor Hagman.To view Marcone’s Florida Department of Corrections Inmate Population Page, please click here.

We, the Clearwater-based Blake & Dorsten, P.A. have handled numerous traffic fatality cases for both the State of Florida and in private practice. As this case clearly shows, the effects of a DUI Manslaughter are not just limited to a Florida state prison sentence and/or a mandatory driver’s license revocation.If you or someone you know has been charged criminally or is being investigated for a DUI Manslaugher or any other traffic-related accident resulting in the serious bodily injury or death of another, please contact DUI defense Attorney Nicholas J. Dorsten, Esq. at 727.286.6141.

The Blake & Dorsten, P.A. stands ready, 365/24/7, to provide an aggressive and experienced defense in all criminal and/or traffic-related matters.

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