--- title: "Santana v. Zahlene Enterprises: $71K Heavy Machinery Verdict" meta: "og:description": "A Miami-Dade jury awarded William Santana $71,666 after a heavy loader collision at Zahlene Enterprises. Explore the negligence and vicarious liability details." "og:title": "Santana v. Zahlene Enterprises: $71K Heavy Machinery Verdict" description: "A Miami-Dade jury awarded William Santana $71,666 after a heavy loader collision at Zahlene Enterprises. Explore the negligence and vicarious liability details." --- March 5, 2026 # **Santana v. Zahlene Enterprises: $71K Heavy Machinery Verdict** A Miami-Dade jury awarded William Santana $71,666 after a heavy loader collision at Zahlene Enterprises. Explore the negligence and vicarious liability details. [**Motor Vehicle Accident**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/jury-verdict/category/motor-vehicle-accident) [**Personal Injury**](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/jury-verdict/category/personal-injury) ### **Outline** Author ![](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/profile_images/shared_image_1.webp) **Sohini Chakraborty****Sohini Chakraborty is a lawyer, with over two years of experience in legal research and analysis. She specializes in working closely with expert witnesses, offering critical support in preparing legal research and detailed case studies.** ![Article Image](https://media.jurimatic.com/cdn-cgi/image/q=70/images/William_Santana1.webp) On August 13, 2019, William Santana was seated in his parked dump truck at the Zahlene Enterprises facility in Medley, Florida, when a heavy front loader operated by Alfredo Tellez struck his vehicle. The impact was severe enough to force Santana to leap from the truck to avoid further harm, resulting in permanent physical impairment and the aggravation of pre-existing conditions. The legal battle centered on vicarious liability and the dangerous instrumentality doctrine, as Santana sought to hold Zahlene Enterprises responsible for their employee’s failure to maintain control of the machinery. Despite defense arguments citing comparative negligence and pre-existing medical issues, a Miami-Dade jury found the Defendants 100% at fault. On August 29, 2025, the Court awarded Santana $71,666.00 for medical expenses and non-economic damages, including pain and suffering. ## **Case Background** On August 13, 2019, William Santana sat inside his parked dump truck at the Zahlene Enterprises facility located in Medley, Florida. At the same time and place, Alfredo Tellez operated a heavy front loader as part of his duties as an employee for Zahlene Enterprises. During the operation of the machinery, Tellez lost control of the loader and struck the side of Santana’s dump truck. The impact forced Santana to leap from his vehicle to avoid further injury. Following the incident, Santana filed a lawsuit in the 11th Judicial Circuit Court of Miami-Dade County, seeking compensation for physical injuries and significant property damage to his truck. ### **Cause** The collision occurred because Alfredo Tellez failed to maintain proper control of the front loader. Santana alleged that Tellez breached his duty to operate the machinery in a safe and reasonable manner. ### **Injury** As a direct result of the collision and his subsequent jump from the truck, Santana suffered various bodily injuries. These injuries included the aggravation of pre-existing physical conditions, permanent physical impairment, and ongoing pain and suffering. ### **Damages Sought** Santana requested a judgment exceeding $50,000 to cover his medical expenses, lost wages, and the loss of future earning capacity. Additionally, he sought compensation for the severe damage to his dump truck and the financial losses resulting from the vehicle being out of service. ## **Key Arguments and Proceedings** The legal proceedings focused on whether the negligence of the Defendants caused the accident and to what extent Santana contributed to his own injuries. Santana argued that the Defendants bore full responsibility for the incident because Tellez acted within the scope of his employment when the crash happened. ### **Legal Representation** **Plaintiff(s):** William Santana. · **Counsel for Plaintiff(s):** Dallas A. Robinson **Defendant(s):** Zahlene Enterprises Inc. | Alfredo Tellez. · **Counsel for Defendant(s):** Jerry D. Hamilton | Derrick M. Kelly | Audrey Franklin | Carlos M. Llorente · **Experts for Defendant(s):**[Rolando Garcia](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Rolando-Garcia/1515117) | [Geoffrey Negin](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Geoffrey-Negin/1511864) | [Michael Zeide](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Michael-Zeide/1529252) | [Guillermo Martinez](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/mailto:https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Guillermo-Martinez/1572583) | [Andres Navarro](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Andres-Navarro/1571724) | [Ming Xiao](https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Ming-Xiao/1521774) | [Stephen N. Makoni](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/mailto:https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Stephen-Makoni/1572584) | [Santiago Aparo](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/mailto:https://expertwitnessprofiler.com/expert-witness/Santiago-Aparo/1572585) ## **Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel** The attorneys for William Santana built their case on the principle of vicarious liability. They argued that because Zahlene Enterprises owned the front loader and employed Tellez, the corporation was legally responsible for Tellez's mistake. They characterized the front loader as a "dangerous instrumentality," which imposed a higher standard of care on the owner. The defense team for Zahlene Enterprises and Tellez countered with several affirmative defenses. While they admitted that Tellez was an employee and had been operating the loader with the company’s consent, they denied that he had acted negligently. They argued that Santana’s own actions might have contributed to the accident or the severity of his injuries. They also suggested that Santana's medical bills were not reasonable or necessary and that his physical complaints stemmed from conditions that had existed long before the 2019 accident. ### **Claims** **Negligence Against Alfredo Tellez** Santana claimed that Tellez failed to operate the loader safely, leading directly to the collision. **Respondeat Superior Against Zahlene Enterprises** Santana sought to hold the company responsible for the actions of its employee while he performed his work duties. **Dangerous Instrumentality** The lawsuit alleged that Zahlene Enterprises, as the owner of the heavy machinery, was liable for any damage caused by the loader regardless of who operated it. **Property Damage** Santana claimed the collision severely damaged his dump truck and caused him to lose income because he could no longer use the vehicle for work. ### **Defense** The Defendants argued the doctrine of comparative negligence, asserting that Santana failed to exercise reasonable care for his own safety. They also raised the issue of collateral sources, arguing that any potential award should be reduced by payments Santana had already received from insurance or other third parties. Furthermore, the defense contended that the incident was an unavoidable accident caused by an equipment malfunction rather than human error. ## **Jury Verdict** The trial concluded on August 29, 2025, when the jury reached a unanimous decision. The jurors first determined that there was negligence on the part of Alfredo Tellez and Zahlene Enterprises that served as a legal cause of injury to William Santana. However, the jury also found that Santana had not acted with negligence himself in relation to the incident. The jury awarded a total of $71,666.00 in damages to William Santana. This total included $20,000.00 for past medical expenses and $10,000.00 for medical expenses expected in the future. For non-economic damages, which covered pain and suffering, disability, and mental anguish, the jury awarded $21,666.00 for the past and $20,000.00 for the future. Because the jury found Santana zero percent at fault, the Court did not reduce the award amount. **Court Documents** [Complaint](https://exlitem.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ContentMarketing/IQAt8rP7YvdXTZBUSJ5hhKI_AQdT5KY1CkjsJNNwMEfhehk?e=re4oJ9) [Jury Verdict](https://exlitem.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/ContentMarketing/IQCBtWerKhzpSJBPz82Qc6Y5AZ36UzjZ4Op9MaKJDvPDreo?e=giQLne) [Share with Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict) [Share with X](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict&text=x) [Share with LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict) [Share with Email](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/mailto:?body=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict&subject=email) [Share with WhatsApp](https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict%20whatsapp) ### **Find your next Expert Witness today** ![Sanjay Adhia](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **Sanjay Adhia** Forensic Psychiastry ![George Reis](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **George Reis** Forensic Imaging ![Maria Babinetz](https://exlitem.com/jury-verdict/santana-v-zahlene-enterprises-71k-heavy-machinery-verdict/_ipx/q_80/user-default.svg) ###### **Maria Babinetz** Vocational Rehabilitation Find and retain experts without brokerage or upcharge. ### Looking for more? Join our subscriber community and receive regular updates delivered straight to your inbox. It’s quick, easy, and free.