Partner Scott Murray and Attorney Keith Hedrick recently settled a motor vehicle accident claim in excess of $400,000. This crash occurred as our client, a seventy-one (71) year old man, came to a stop in his vehicle and he was unexpectedly and forcefully struck from behind. The individual responsible for causing the crash admitted that he was in a rush and was unable to apply his brakes before causing this major accident.
At the scene of the crash, our client immediately complained of pain in his neck, and he was rushed to the nearest Emergency Room via ambulance for treatment. Following the failure of extensive conservative treatment to remedy his neck pain, our client underwent a C4 to C6 (two level) anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF).
Unfortunately for our client, his post-surgical x-ray revealed that one of the titanium screws had fractured at the C6 level. As a result, his surgeon recommended that he would require another major surgery in the future to correct the nonunion and adjacent segment disease that would result at C6 due to the failure of the screw. Ultimately, our client’s injury resulted in a 11% permanent impairment rating under the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.
Given the severity of the impact and our client’s extensive injuries, our firm fairly secured a settlement with the insurance carrier to compensate our client for what he has had to endure in the past and what he will continue to suffer in the future. Unfortunately, no amount of money will ever adequately compensate him for his injuries, but he was happy to be able to put this matter behind him and focus on continuing his recovery.
