Ranger Construction will aggressively appeal verdict it considers unjustified and excessive

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Nov. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ranger Construction, which has an impeccable industry safety record, will appeal a jury verdict which it believes was unjustified.

Last month a Broward County jury said that independent truck driver Juan Calero was fifty percent responsible for a 2015 accident on Interstate-75 where two young adults lost their lives. Calero, who was not a Ranger Construction employee, ignored safety rules, did not use an available Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approved acceleration lane and instead drove his truck across four lanes of traffic. That's when the victims' vehicles hit Calero's flatbed truck.

Despite these facts, the jury said that Ranger should also be fifty-percent to blame.

"Our company has always maintained an exceptional safety record. This accident was caused by the actions of one individual who was not an employee of Ranger Construction, said Michael Kennedy, Ranger Construction. It is clear that the jury would rather punish a corporation than hold the individual, who violated safety protocol, responsible for his actions." 

The evidence showed that even after the accident FDOT confirmed that Ranger had followed proper safety requirements and specifications for this road construction project and there were no other accidents related construction activities on this project. The project was overseen by Construction Engineering and Inspectors and engineers hired by the Department of Transportation.

Ranger Construction will appeal and show that it followed safety guidelines and this deadly accident would have never occurred if not for the rogue actions of a truck driver who disobeyed safety instructions and did not use the engineered and state approved acceleration lane. 

The truck driver is currently being held in jail on criminal charges which are related to the accident.  The jury was not allowed to know Juan Calero was under arrest before it decided that Calero and Ranger should share the blame. The jury claimed Calero and Ranger should split a $20 million payment in damages for one of the victims and Ranger should pay another $25 million in vicarious punitive damages, while Calero who caused the accident should pay $5,000.

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Media Contact:
Tom McNicholas
McNicholas & Associates
772-263-1567
[email protected]

SOURCE Ranger Construction