Attorneys for Brain and Head Injuries

One Of Our Brain Injury Cases

The following case summary is an auto accident case resulting in head and brain injuries that we have personally handled and litigated. The case is provided for illustrative and informational purposes only and is not meant to offer legal advice or take the place of a consultation with a qualified attorney with the requisite expertise and experience in these matters. This case is only a sample of the actual cases we have handled. While some cases may be similar, each case involves unique parties and specific facts, and the application of those facts to the controlling law may differ significantly depending upon the circumstances. No results or outcomes can be guaranteed in any case.

Wilma F.

Wilma F., a 70-year-old secretary for her family business, was injured while she was driving from the shop to the post office in Valley Station off Dixie Highway in Louisville, Kentucky. The injury occurred when a 17-year-old cutting school purposely ran a stop sign in a residential area because he was on his way to a buddy’s house to “chill.” In fact, this 17-year-old had been charged by the police on two prior occasions with running stop signs, and in fact, ran a stop sign again approximately one month after he caused this accident.

The 17-year-old broadsided Wilma’s Ford 500, crashing into the car in what was categorized as a severe crash, knocking Wilma’s car off of the road and into a yard, knocking down a wooden fence before coming to a stop.

Wilma immediately felt pain primarily on the top and left side of her head. She also had pain in both shoulders from the seat belts and pain in her stomach. Wilma was taken to the emergency room at Norton Hospital where she was diagnosed with a head injury that consisted of a subarachnoid hemorrhage. She was admitted to the hospital for head trauma. After her discharge from the hospital, Wilma followed up with her primary care doctor, a neurosurgeon, pain management and an orthopedic surgeon along with a neurologist.

Several months after the crash, she was still having problems with her head injury and suffering from chronic daily headache syndrome. Wilma was started on medications that included Neurontin, and her treating neurologist at the University of Louisville diagnosed her with a brain injury that had caused her to suffer a diminished quality of life and impaired functioning.

In all, the woman sustained approximately $45,000 in medical bills related to her injuries. The at-fault driver’s insurance company was Ohio Casualty, and they had a policy of $100,000. Wilma also had an underinsured motorist policy of $100,000 that she maintained with Liberty Mutual. No offers of settlement were made before the lawsuit being filed, and just four months before the trial began, Ohio Casualty offered only $28,000 and her own insurance company, Liberty Mutual, offered $1,000 to resolve the claim. The last demand before trial was $90,000. After a three day trial in Jefferson County, Kentucky, the jury returned a verdict in the amount of $149,000 in favor of Wilma.