Family of woman who died in 2013 crash involving deputy to receive $1.2 million from sheriff's office
Posted on: December 19, 2023
Original Article: https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-okeechobee-family-awarded-million-2013-fatal-deputy-crash/46096586
OKEECHOBEE, Fla. —
The above video is a WPBF 25 News report from 2014 on the incident.
The Florida Legislature and the governor approved awarding an Okeechobee County family more than $1 million for a fatal crash that involved an Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office deputy more than 10 years ago.
On June 9, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis approved a claims bill, which allowed the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office to pay the family of Hilda Medrano relief stemming from a crash that killed Medrano involving then Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office deputy Joseph Gracie on Dec. 1, 2013.
The Florida House of Representatives and the Senate approved the bill in April.
The legislation allows the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office to pay the family of Medrano $1,200,000 for damages in connection to the death of Hilda Medrano.
The bill notes the sheriff’s office will make yearly payments of $300,000 to the family.
The first payment was scheduled to be made 30 days after the bill went into law this summer.
The remaining payments will be made by July 1 of each of the following years.
A jury found the deputy 88.5% liable for the incident and the award was reduced from $5 million to $4,425,000.
Because of state law on limitations of liability, the sheriff's office will distribute a total of $1.2 million to the family of Medrano.
Guadalupe Medrano, the sister of Hilia Medrano, released the following statement on behalf of the Medrano family to WPBF 25 News Tuesday:
“It took a long 10 years, but after a decade, we're happy to say justice was finally served for Hilda Medrano. The state approved the claims bill, which means a lot to our family. It shows they didn't just ignore this and sweep it under the rug. Sure, there were challenges getting the claim bill approved, but this was never about money. No amount of money can make up for losing our daughter. We miss her every day - her laugh, her bubbly personality, and most of all, the person she would have become. We hold on to every memory with her, and like she used to say, "cherish the moments." She'll always be in our hearts and thoughts."
Okeechobee County Sheriff Noel E. Stephen provided the following statement to WPBF 25 News Wednesday, Dec. 13:
"The agreement reached brings the legal aspect of a tragic event to a close and I hope also brings some closure to the Medrano family and all whose lives were forever changed as a result of this unfortunate accident."
Fort Lauderdale's Edward Zebersky was the lead attorney, while Steffani Russo was an associated attorney who represented the Medrano family following the 2013 incident.
Both provided statements to WPBF 25 News on Tuesday.
“The loss that the Medrano family suffered is unimaginable. We are glad that the passage of the claims bill has finally given the family some sense of closure,” Zebersky said in a statement.
“The jury spoke, and they got it right. Now, after years of continuous perseverance, our team was finally able to bring this battle for justice to an end for the Medrano family,” Russo said in a statement.
WPBF 25 News reported at the time of the crash, Elizabeth A. Renteria and Hilia Medrano were in a sedan that was turning into the McDonald’s on State Road 70 in Okeechobee.
Just after 2 a.m., Gracie was responding to a domestic dispute with an armed individual.
The claims bill notes the deputy was found at fault as he was traveling more than 90 mph in a zone where the speed limit was 35 mph.
The deputy’s vehicle did not have its emergency lights activated, and the deputy’s vehicle collided with the passenger’s side of the sedan at a speed of 87 mph.
Hilia Medrano was a passenger in the sedan while Renteria was operating the sedan.
Both women died, while another passenger in the sedan sustained injuries. The deputy also sustained injuries from the crash.
The bill was introduced during the 2023 regular session in the Florida House of Representatives as HB 6021 by State Rep. Kaylee Tuck (R-Lake Placid) whose District 55 includes Okeechobee County, Rep. Dotie Joseph (D-North Miami) and in the Senate as SB 12 by State Sen. Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton).
In the Senate, the bill received 39 total votes with 38 yes votes, one no vote, and there was one missed vote, while the House of Representatives, the bill received 105 total votes with 105 yes votes, zero no votes and 14 missed votes.
Of the 14 missed votes, 11 House members voted yes after the roll call for the bill.
Click here to read the claims bill that was passed by the Florida Legislature and approved by Gov. DeSantis.