In a stunning court case in New Jersey, a jury recently ordered a beer seller to pay the family of a paralyzed girl a total of $135 million in damages.
In late January, in Superior Court in Hackensack, the jury ordered Aramark Corporation, the concessionaire at Giants Stadium to pay $75 million in punitive and $60 million in compensatory damages for selling alcohol to a visibly drunk fan.
The fan, Daniel Lanzaro, subsequently caused an accident that paralyzed 7 year old Antonia Verni of Cliffside Park.
The jury determined that Aramark willfully disregarded public safety when it sold beer to Lanzaro on October 24, 1999, despite his obvious intoxication. You can read more about the horrible tragedy here: Drunk Driving Tragedy
Perhaps if there had been an Alcohol Alert machine nearby, they could have directed him to test himself so he could see the extent of his impairment and make a better choice about drinking and driving, and reduce their liability in the process.
Imagine how many Alcohol Alert breath testing machines could be purchased for $135 million. Tens of thousands. That’s more than enough money to install one at every exit at every professional and college sports stadium in the United States.
