She just got her driver’s license. She hit him. He was just awarded $8.2M

WEST PALM BEACH - A day after she got her driver's license, Shayla Randle was driving her sisters home from church when she didn't notice a man crossing Military Trail to catch a bus.

This week, more than five years after Randle plowed into Charles Jacobus in what all agree was a horrible accident, a Palm Beach County jury ordered the young woman and her mother to pay $8.2 million to help assure the 61-year-old Greenacres man can lead some semblance of a normal life.

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Attorney Brian LaBovick, who represented Jacobus in the years-long litigation, said the accident is the embodiment of the fears of every parent who has ever handed their keys to a child who was a newly-minted driver.

"She's a nice young woman and I'm sure she will forever see that man hitting the hood of her SUV," he said on Thursday.

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But, he said, the injuries Jacobus suffered in the crash on 45th Street and Military Trail were serious and also heart-breaking. Jacobus, who once was the sole breadwinner for his wife and a disabled daughter, will never be able to work again.

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Brain injuries he suffered make it difficult for him to speak, LaBovick said. Jacobus is legally blind, can barely walk and is in constant pain because of back injuries that could be alleviated if he could afford the surgery.

While Jacobus is thankful for the jury's verdict, he recognizes that collecting it will be difficult.

LaBovick said he may be forced to sue the auto insurance company that provided coverage on the Lincoln Navigator Randle was driving and was owned by Randle's mother, Latonia Davis. But, he said, he is hopeful that a settlement can be reached.

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Attorney Seth Goldberg, who represented the mother and daughter who now live in Port St. Lucie, declined comment on the verdict or whether he would appeal.

A first trial ended nearly a year ago when a different jury agreed that Randle was responsible for Jacobus' injuries. The jury that spent seven days hearing about the extent of Jacobus' injuries only ruled on how much money he deserved.

It awarded him $1 million for the medical expenses he incurred during the nearly six months he spent in the hospital and rehabilitation facilities after the crash. It awarded him another $1.6 million for future medical expenses and $5.4 million for pain and suffering.

Randle got Circuit Judge Lisa Small's permission to skip the trial that concluded Tuesday because she is soon to become a paramedic and isn't permitted to miss any classes, records show.

Jacobus and his wife, meanwhile, are ready to move on. "They're happy to get this behind them," LaBovick said.

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