Florida homeowner breaks leg outside court; appeals court orders new insurance trial

A trip to the court house that was expected to bring an elderly Florida homeowner closer to resolving a long running insurance dispute ended in a medical emergency. The homeowner broke his leg and had to have surgery after his wheelchair tipped over in the courthouse parking lot, and so he couldn’t participate in his own trial.

He did not attend, but the trial went ahead and he was found against by the jury. But a Florida appeals court has now overturned that verdict, ordering a new trial and raising important questions about a policy exclusion used by property insurers.Verdict turns around in wheelchair accidentFlorida’s Second District Court of Appeal overturned the jury’s verdict on September 25, finding that the trial court erred in allowing the case to proceed after the homeowner was seriously injured, Insurance Business reported.The accident happened outside the courthouse when his wheelchair rolled across the parking lot, hit the bumper of a car and tipped over.