David T Tirella

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Personal Injury Lawyers Tampa
* Auto Accidents
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At Eaton, Powell & Tirella, we pursue justice for victims and consumers in personal injury litigation and accident claims throughout the state of Florida. Our law firm concentrates in successfully representing those injured by the negligence of others.

Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer - National Board of Legal Specialty Certification

David T Tirella
Eaton, Powell & Tirella
304 S Plant Ave
Tampa FL 33606
Tel: 813 505-1741
Fax: 813 254-2226

David T. Tirella is a partner of Eaton, Powell & Tirella. He has focused his career on high profile complex cases. David has become the attorney to see if you need a qualified expert on your case. Expert testimony frequently can make or break a case, but few attorneys are adept at navigating the science behind the testimony and breaking it down for a jury to understand. David is one of those rare attorneys that can do it with ease. With more than 19 years of experience handling a wide variety of civil and criminal matters, including more than 200 bench and jury trials, David has personally interviewed and/or hired hundreds of expert witnesses for criminal, civil, and medical malpractice cases.

Prior to joining Eaton Powell & Tirella, David focused his practice on medical malpractice, toxic tort, consumer/child advocacy and personal injury cases. He has successfully resolved personal injury cases, as lead trial attorney or as a key trial team member, in excess of $120 million in settlements and verdicts since 1997.

In October 2007, after a six-day trial in which David represented the Plaintiffs, the jury awarded Plaintiffs $4 million in a suit against a local private school for failure to properly supervise students. A confidential settlement was reached after post-trial motions. In 2005, a fraudulent physical therapy billing practice action that David and co-plaintiffs filed resulted in a $323 million settlement between HealthSouth Corporation and the federal government. At the time, this settlement was the seventh largest health care qui tam case in United States history. In 2004, David Tirella and Matthew Powell tried an auto accident case. The defendant’s argument to the jury was the accident was merely a "fender bender" with only $500 in property damage to the vehicles, and only a “Soft Tissue Injury.” After 4 days of trial, the jury agreed with the Plaintiff and awarded $1 million in damages. In 2002, David played an instrumental role in a $29 million settlement with a hospital for a victim who sustained brain damage while in the hospital's care.

Additionally, David spent a number of years in private practice, handling a range of criminal defense and plaintiff personal injury cases. In one criminal matter covered by the television news program, "20/20", David successfully defended a couple accused of felony child abuse for allegedly torturing and branding their sons with lit cigarettes. David's ability to assemble a comprehensive expert medical team, including a clinical dermatologist, child therapist, adult psychiatrist, and family physician, helped prove to the Court that the marks were actually caused by a rare skin condition. Felony charges were dropped and the couple's children were returned home. On the civil side,

In 1997, David T. Tirella and David G. Eaton handled a toxic tort case for 19 postal workers who fell ill from noxious chemical vapors released while flooring was being installed. After a two-week trial, the defendant settled the case for an amount substantially higher than previously offered.

David also spent a number of years as an Assistant State Attorney for Hillsborough County, prosecuting all levels of crime, ranging from misdemeanor, juvenile, and felony cases including murder. Over time David worked his way through the divisions, culminating as a prosecutor in the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Division. Among other honors, he was selected as a Governor Appointed Special Prosecutor to handle a complex case involving a string of 25 burglaries by a husband and wife team in a neighboring Florida County.

In addition to his legal work, David is also a consumer and child advocate. His work on behalf of the Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up For All Students Act (an anti- bullying act for all public schools in Florida) included national media coverage, with appearances on ABC's "Good Morning America" and CBS' "The Early Show." His work helped push the bill through both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Governor Charlie Christ signed the bill into law in June 2008.

David frequently speaks and teaches on a wide variety of legal issues ranging from personal injury, legal education, and expert witnessing. His cases have also appeared on "CNN/Headline News", ABC's "20/20", Tru TV's (formerly Court TV) "In Session", Tru TV's "Open Court with Lisa Bloom", "The Montel Williams Show", WTSP (TV), WFLA (TV), WQYK (Radio), Tampa Fox News, "Meeting by Accident" (Internet Radio) and "The Law and You". His cases have also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Tampa Tribune, St. Petersburg Times, Associated Press, Miami Herald, Chicago Union Times, Lawyer Weekly, Lakeland Ledger, 2nd District Court of Appeals and Florida Supreme Court.