A lot of personal injury attorneys call themselves “trial attorneys”. But not very many of them try cases. Why? They’re scared or they have financial problems and have to settle their cases. Not us.
We’ve been busy trying cases this year. Here are some recent trial results.
REAL MONEY FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURIES
We recently tried a case for a client who was involved in a three-vehicle wreck.
Our client sustained soft-tissue neck and back injuries. He had about $12,000 in treatment expenses. (Treatment expenses are often used as a yard stick to measure how seriously someone has been hurt.)
Our client’s physical injuries impacted his life but they paled in comparison to the psychological impact of the wreck.
We explained to the jury that our client no longer feels the freedom he had before the wreck because of his newfound fear of driving. He’s now forced to rely on his wife for transportation. We emphasized what a big deal this is and explained that our client now isolates himself socially and rarely leaves his house.
The insurance carrier’s last offer before trial was $25,000. We tried the case and received a verdict of $155,335.
SIX-FIGURE VERDICT DESPITE PRIOR INJURIES AND MINIMAL PROPERTY DAMAGE
We recently tried a case for a client who was rear-ended on his way to pick up his grandkids from daycare.
Our client was driving an SUV. The point of impact was at his trailer hitch. There wasn’t very much visible property damage.
Our client sustained injuries to his neck, back and knees in the wreck.
Unfortunately, our client had been in five wrecks before this one and had a pretty extensive history of injuries to his neck, back and knees. He had a lot of the same symptoms before the wreck that he experienced after the wreck.
We argued to the jury that the extent of property damage doesn’t predict damage to people inside a vehicle. We explained when a vehicle gets hit at the trailer hitch the energy transfers through the frame rail. The frame rail is not designed with a crumple zone to absorb the energy of the impact. Having the trailer hitch the point of impact made it a much more jarring wreck with much less visible damage than if the impact had been anywhere else on our client’s vehicle.
We were honest with the jury about our client’s prior injuries. We explained that pre-existing conditions make people easier to hurt and harder to fix.
The insurance carrier’s last offer before trial was $13,325. We tried the case and received a jury verdict of $107,000 for our client.
JURY RETURNS VERDICT 15X HIGHER THAN CARRIER’S LAST OFFER
We tried a case last year for a man who was rear-ended on the freeway.
Our client went to urgent care after the wreck and was diagnosed with a neck strain.
Our client had an extensive history of neck and back injuries. He fractured his neck in 1976 and underwent a cervical spine fusion. He had been receiving intermittent treatment for his neck and back injuries over the past 40 years. He treated with a chiropractor just two months before the wreck.
The insurance carrier took the position that our client’s continuing neck and back pain was caused by his cervical spine fusion and not by the wreck. It offered our client $5,000.
At trial we had our client, his wife and his co-worker testify. They explained that even though our client experienced pain before the wreck he remained pretty functional. He was able to do physically demanding work, hike, fish and golf. He wasn’t able to do any of these things after the wreck.
We argued to the jury that our client is entitled to recover because the wreck aggravated his preexisting symptoms. The jury agreed and returned a verdict of $75,000 for our client.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING
Myers & Company did a great job. Really took control of the situation and made the process smooth and easy. I would not even consider anyone else.
I’m a Plaintiff’s lawyer. I hire this firm when I need one! Mike will fight for you, listen to you, and illuminate the process for you. And they will take care of you the entire time. I sincerely respect and admire this law firm.