According to the Orlando Sentinel, a college student visiting from Georgia was lying on the beach on July 3, 2006. A Volusia County Beach Patrolman,44 year-old Robert Augustynowski, was distracted by swimmers heading toward the ocean’s rip current. He did not see the victim lying on her beach towel and ran over her with his Dodge pickup truck.
The victim received extensive injuries to her pancreas and spleen and collapsed lung. For the next two weeks, she was in the Halifax Hospital and then had multiple visits to her physician when she returned home. The young woman, who was active in sports, now experiences back pain and is restricted to lifting only light objects. The injuries to her pancreas have greatly increased the likelihood of her getting diabetes as she get older.
Volusia County has admitted full responsibility for the accident and they will be approving $100,000 final settlement for the victim. The beach patrol officer was fined $118 for the incident.
For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.
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