5 Personal Injury Verdicts You Won’t Believe
Personal injury verdicts are more common than you would imagine since they encompass any kind of injury to the body or mind. Hundreds of lawsuits are filed every year for injuries that occur due to the negligence of another individual or organization. These types of suits always make for an interesting read. Take a look at our list of 5 Personal Injury Verdicts You Won’t Believe!
1. Birth Injury Due to Delayed C-Section
On March 26, 2010, Rebecca Fielding and Enso Martinez filed a personal injury lawsuit against John Hopkins Hospital, claiming the delayed C-section she received caused their son’s medical condition. Enzo Martinez was born with cerebral palsy, permanent brain damage and many physical and mental disabilities after the emergency procedure.
Unfortunately his condition required someone to help him around the clock, along with constant physical and occupational therapy for the rest of his life. The jury found John Hopkins Hospital guilty of delay and awarded a verdict of $25 million for future expenses, $4 million for lost wages and $26 million for other non-economic damages. The case is currently on appeal.
2. Hood Collapse
Another unbelievable personal injury verdict involved Arturo Salazar, 59, who worked as a mechanic at Empire Southwest in California. On May 14, 2009, while doing routine engine maintenance work on a Challenger tractor manufactured by AGCO Corp., the hood collapsed on his lower back. He was trapped in the engine compartment and suffered a lumbar disc hernia and a fractured shoulder and ribs. He filed a lawsuit against AGCO for manufacturing an unstable product and made a claim of $115,000 for medical costs and about $4 million for lost wages. After prolonged arguments, the judge ruled in favor of Salazar, citing that AGCO was guilty of product liability and awarded Salazar $2 million in total damages.
3. Medical Neglect
Mario Garcia, a prisoner in Brooks County Detention Center, died Jan. 12, 2009, after experiencing intense seizures. Garcia’s family filed a personal injury lawsuit against LCS Correction Services Inc., the operator of Brooks Detention Center, for medical negligence. The family argued that Garcia suffered seizures Jan. 8, and that because medical attention wasn’t given to him, he died four days later on Jan. 12. An expert forensics and medical team testified for Garcia’s family. The jury found LCS guilty of neglect and awarded a personal injury verdict of $500,000 to the widow, $1.25 million to the son and $500,000 to the estate of Garcia.
4. Road Accident
On Aug. 16, 2008, Stefan Popa, who was driving a tractor, made a U-turn on Morrison Avenue in Bronx, New York. As he was making the U-turn, he collided with a vehicle coming in the opposite direction, and as a result, Jeptha Wallace, the other driver, sustained back and neck injuries.
Wallace sued Popa and filed a personal injury lawsuit against the City of New York and NYC Parks & Recreation, claiming that the City and Parks & Recreation were indirectly responsible for the accident. The City amended its laws in 2009 to regulate the presence of tractors on the city roads through the day. Until then, the laws did not guarantee the safety of motorists. Wallace alleged that if there would have been regulations on tractors to use the road at that time, then Popa wouldn’t have been on Morrison Avenue the day of the accident. The NYC Parks & Recreation developed the area around Morrison Avenue into a park. Wallace alleged that if the Parks & Recreation department had not annexed the area, there would have been more lanes and this could have prevented the accident.
The jury found Popa and the other defendants guilty and awarded a personal injury verdict that’s hard to believe of $9.86 million to Wallace to cover his current and future medical expenses.
5. Dog Bite
Dog bites happen more than you’d probably think. According to the American Humane Association, there are over 4 million dog bites a year in the United States. And about 800,000 of those require medical care.
In June 2006, defendant Rick Tucker was looking after his girlfriend’s pit bull in his yard. The dog ran from the yard to neighbor Deborah Duke’s yard and attacked her. She sustained injuries on her hands and arms and filed a lawsuit against Tucker and his girlfriend. The court awarded damages to Duke, concluding the pit bull breed of dog had vicious tendency. The owner should have taken better precautions, such as chaining it. A settlement of $5,000 was awarded through a small claims court.
Do you know of any other cases that should have made our list of 5 Personal Injury Verdicts You Won’t Believe? We would love to read them. If there’s one that we missed, let us know below in the comments!
