Patsy Hamaker of Bessemer, whose suit blamed bosses at The Furnace for a 2007 car wreck, was awarded $100,000 compensatory damages by a Jefferson County jury and no punitive damages, the Birmingham (Ala.) News reported Thursday.
Hamaker, who has sought $1.4 million in damages, said she drank enough during her Oct. 17, 2007, shift at The Furnace that her blood alcohol content was nearly three times the legal limit for driving. Her suit said the failure of superiors to stop her from driving home led her to a crash that left her with a broken back and nose.
The suit said the club violated its own safety rules by allowing her to drink too much and by not stopping her from driving. However, several workers at The Furnace said they tried to stop Hamaker from driving.
"Bottom line is she got herself drunk, had a terrible wreck and wants someone else to pay for it," said Davis Whittelsey, an attorney for the club.
Copyright 2010 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
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