A civil suit has awarded Frankie Bell $700,000 in damages two years after the same accident that caused the death of jogging partner Marie Wooten.
On Nov. 3, 2010 at 5:45 a.m. Wooten, then dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, was jogging with Bell, who teaches math at Loachapoka High School.
The two were near the intersection of College Street and Donahue Drive when they were both struck by a vehicle.
Immediately afterward, Wooten was airlifted to Columbus Regional Medical Center in Columbus, Ga., for emergency medical attention.
While Wooten did not survive, Bell, who was severely injured and broke 25 bones, did.
Mark David Sawyer was the driver of the vehicle that hit the two women when he was allegedly setting his cruise control to 45 mph.
"It was 50 yards before he even stopped and pulled up on the curb," Bell's attorney Julia Beasley said.
Beasley described Sawyer as careless because the place the women were jogging was specifically designated for bikers and pedestrians.
"I don't want anyone to think she didn't have good judgment," Bell said. "She always took care of me when we were running; she always made sure I was safe. She introduced me to running and this helped me through an 11-hour surgery."
Beasley said Bell was courageous as she recovered from the traumatic injuries.
"(Bell) made a remarkable recovery," throughout the healing process, Beasley said. "She never complained and was an inspiration. I've never met anyone like her."
After the accident, Bell filed a lawsuit against Sawyer requesting $700,000, which she won Sept. 13.
"The jury filed in our favor, gave us victory and found him negligent," Bell said. "That's all I really wanted."
The $700,000 was broken up two ways, Beasley said. $550,000 was compensatory damages for the pain Bell suffered, and $150,000 was punitive, aiming to prevent similar incidents in the future.
In November, Bell will conduct a three-mile race on the exact trail she and Wooten ran two years ago.
"Last year I ran it for self-peace, but this year it will serve as a fundraiser for a book scholarship award, helping one child at a time," she said.
Charles Savrda, COSAM's interim dean, highlighted ways the school has changed to further Wooten's vision of a program dedicated to its students first.
"With Marie's passing, we lost a promising administrator, an outstanding scientist, an exceptional teacher and a dear colleague," Savrda said.
"She is greatly missed. Provost Boosinger is currently in the process of establishing a committee to renew a national search for COSAM dean. While I abhor the circumstances under which I came to the Dean's Office, I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the University in new and challenging ways."
Over the past two years, the COSAM program has undergone several changes.
"(There is) improved administrative efficiency in our Offices for Communications, Instructional Technology and Diversity and Multicultural Affairs; efforts to improve student learning in the college's core and service courses; establishment of a new biomedical sciences oversight committee; and restructuring of COSAM scholarship programs," Savrda said.
"Our students continue to excel. I like to think that Marie Wooten would be pleased with our progress."
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