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Court: County Liable For Crash Costs

A federal appeals panel has upheld a $407,000 jury award to a Michigan man who suffered severe injuries caused in part by a Nebraska county's failure to adequately mark a sharp turn in a road.

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Reporter: Associated Press

A federal appeals panel has upheld a $407,000 jury award to a Michigan man who suffered severe injuries caused in part by a Nebraska county's failure to adequately mark a sharp turn in a road.

Last year, U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp found that Juston Pohl of Portland, Mich., was entitled to $678,606 for the 2007 crash that trapped him in his car for 10 hours and required spinal fusion surgery. The judge found that Furnas County was 60 percent liable because it placed a warning sign too close to the turn and failed to adequately maintain the sign.

Pohl was found 40 percent liable because he failed to wear a seat belt and was speeding. Because of that, his award was reduced to $407,163.