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$5.5 Million Awarded Following St. Petersburg Car Accident

The widow of a man killed in a 2001 car accident near St. Petersburg has been awarded $5.5 million in a wrongful death lawsuit.  Gayle DeRycke said it wasn’t about the money, but that someone was finally held accountable for the car crash that killed her husband.

Gayle DeRycke and her husband Douglas DeRycke were visiting friends and business associates in Florida when the tragic accident took place.  The couple was riding in a Mercury Mountaineer driven by Randall T. Knight.  Knight swerved while driving on Interstate 275 near 54th Avenue and lost control of the vehicle, which flipped over numerous times.

The estate of Douglas DeRycke sued Knight and his employer, Packaging Corp. of America, based in Illinois.  The wrongful death lawsuit was originally filed in 2002, just one year after the auto accident.  However, it took a while getting through the system and there were many attorney changes and even a contempt of court charge and mistrial.

The jury awarded the estate approximately $3.5 million for her loss of companionship and another $2 million for lost wages and other costs, such as funeral expenses.

Gayle DeRycke says that she plans to establish college funds for her five grandchildren with the money.

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