News

A Racine County jury slapped a 3-time drunk driver with a $457,000 guilty verdict for rear-ending and injuring a Janesville man while driving under the influence near Burlington, Wis.

According to police reports, Kevin Armstrong, 49, of Delavan, Wis.crashed his Ford F-150 into the rear of Todd Needham’s pick-up truck as Needham waited for the traffic light at the intersection of Highway 50 and Highway P.

Armstrong was taken into custody before being taken to a local hospital for Field Sobriety tests and a blood draw. The laboratory tests showed Armstrong had a BAC of 0.328.

The accident was Armstrong’s third drunk driving offense.

Needham suffered back and neck injuries in the collision.

“It’s absolutely tragic that the criminal courts failed to keep this repeat offender off the road,” said Needham's attorney Tom Kyle. “I only hope the drunk drivers hear about this verdict and make wiser decisions."

The verdict awarded $350,000 in punitive damages and $107,767 in compensatory damages to the plaintiff. The $350,000 is by far one of the largest punitive damage awards ever reported in Racine County for a drunken driving accident.