International Polo Club Owner John Goodman Sued for Wrongful Death

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (April 29, 2010) – South Florida law firms Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA and Smith, Ivey & Fronrath today filed a wrongful death suit against John Goodman, founder and owner of International Polo Club Palm Beach, on behalf of the family of Scott Patrick Wilson, a 23-year old recent graduate of the University of Central Florida who was fatally killed in a car crash when Goodman ran a stop sign.

The lawsuit, filed in the Circuit Court for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit in Palm Beach County, Florida, alleges that Goodman disregarded the safety of others after consuming intoxicating amounts of alcohol before getting in his car to drive home.

In the early morning hours of February 12, 2010, Mr. Goodman ran a stop sign at high speed in his 5,500 pound Bentley crashing broadside into the Hyundai Sonata driven by Scott Patrick Wilson. The impact of the crash was so violent that it sent the Hyundai hurtling before landing on its roof into a drainage ditch.

According to the complaint filed in the case, Mr. Goodman made no effort to come to the aid of Mr. Scott Wilson, who may have been unconscious and unable to get out of the ditch to save himself from drowning.

Instead, Mr. Goodman fled from the scene on foot, seeking to make phone calls to friends and lawyers in order to protect himself, while fully aware that the driver of the vehicle he propelled into the ditch may have been dying, according to informed sources. By the time Mr. Goodman was advised to call the authorities, it was far too late to rescue Scott Patrick Wilson.

“Mr. Goodman should have immediately sought to help the young man he had victimized” said Chris Searcy, of the Searcy Denney law firm and attorney for the family. “Mr. Goodman’s monumental irresponsibility caused Scott’s death.

“We will aggressively pursue this lawsuit to ensure that the responsibility for Scott’s death falls where it belongs,” added Scott Smith, co-counsel in the case.

Searcy Denney is interested in speaking with anyone who was witness to the crash or who can provide credible information as to Mr. Goodman’s prior or habitual use of alcohol and/or cocaine.