June 07 2007 - Former Kentucky Derby champion wins $2.7M in injury lawsuit

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Legendary Hall of Fame Jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. was the all time leading rider with 9,530 wins under his belt when an accident during a race caused him to retire. Now a Pasadena, California, jury has awarded Pincay Jr. $2.7-million in his lawsuit against Huntington Ambulance for negligence that caused the permanent damage to him following his accident.

The Panamanian born Pincay had an exceptional riding career in the United States, which included wins at the Kentucky Derby and three consecutive titles at the Belmont Stakes during the early eighties.

In March 2003, the then 57-year-old jockey was thrown from his horse Trampus Too and broke two bones in his neck after his mount, clipped the heels of another competitor during the fifth race at the Santa Anita racetrack. Examinations of the injury determined significant spinal injury and he was forced to retire from the sport.

Attorneys for Pincay argued that since the ambulance company did not immobilize his client during transportation that the injuries were compounded and that their negligence had lead to Pincay’s forced retirement.

“He should have been put on a board and in a full body and neck brace. He was told to get into the back of the ambulance, and then they dropped him over at the track's first-aid station,” said Pincay's lawyer, Neil Papiano to the Associated Press. “Our position is that if the right procedures had been followed, he would have been able to go back to riding about six to eight weeks after the accident.”

Pincay also sued the Santa Anita Race track, and reached an out-of-court settlement last year for additional complications brought on by race side physicians. << back