MIAMI - Claiming that her extensive injuries threaten her entertainment career, the reigning Miss Florida is suing two shipping companies and the driver of a semitrailer truck that toppled onto the car she was riding in.
Shauna Pender, 24, was injured Nov. 7 when the 18-wheeler tipped over onto a Lincoln Town Car carrying the St. Petersburg woman to a charity event in Miami. Both vehicles had swerved as the result of the Town Car's being cut off by a pickup truck that left the scene.
The suit, which seeks $10-million in damages, was filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
The lawsuit says Pender's heart stopped briefly and she needed six surgeries during her hospital stay. Her attorney, William Sullivan, said Pender is undergoing rehabilitation in Miami in hopes of resuming her career, but she can barely walk and cannot feed herself or sing.
"She had some acting jobs and appearances" in New York, Sullivan said. "She put that all on hold to become Miss Florida."
A spokeswoman for the state beauty pageant said Pender is still Miss Florida, although there is no timetable for her return to official duties. The next Miss Florida will be crowned in June.
Pender finished second this year to Ericka Dunlap, who vacated her Florida throne after winning the Miss America competition. Pender was formally crowned Miss Florida two weeks before the accident.
The lawsuit alleges that the driver of the semitrailer truck, Reinaldo Rios, 37, was not trained to operate the vehicle. It also says a cargo of avocados was not loaded properly and shifted enough to overturn the trailer.
Shipping companies Southern Ocean Transport and Maersk were also named in the suit.
