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$80 Million Award to Truck Driver Told to Keep Driving

The driver, Lauro Lozano, claimed his employer made him enter false information in his truck driver’s logbook to make it look like he rested for the required amount of time when he did not.

Instead of resting, as he was required to do, he just returned to Texas from a trip when he was told to take another shipment from Texas to Maryland.

He sustained a traumatic brain injury, crushed pelvis, crushed left foot, and broken ribs when he fell asleep in his truck in another tractor-trailer on the way to Maryland.

The jury awarded Lozano $5 million in compensatory damages and $75 million in exemplary damages.

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Man Paralyzed in Bicycle Accident Gets $20M Settlement

Congratulations to Tom Schultz and Deborah Chang, attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP and Richard L. Duquette of the Law Firm of Richard L. Duquette, for obtaining a $20 million settlement for a bicyclist who became a quadriplegic and his wife.

The plaintiff was riding his bicycle when he fell into a narrow trench that was cut across the bicycle lane. Although construction workers knew they created a dangerous trap for bicyclists, they failed to place proper warnings or post someone to warn bicyclists. The trench was not visible to bicyclists in the morning due to the angle of the sun.

The plaintiff Sheng “Sam” Du, was a 52-year-old Software Architectural Manager at Verizon. The bicycle accident occurred in the city of San Diego, California.

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Jury awards $110 Million to Bicyclist

A bicyclist, Robert Liciaga, age 26, was compensated by a Brooklyn, NY, jury with a verdict of $110,174,972.38.

The plaintiff was seriously injured when NYC Transit Authority workers working on an elevated subway train track dropped a large beam on the bicyclist as he was riding his bicycle underneath. A worker directed him to ride underneath the track replacement work going on above his head.

The plaintiff literally never knew what hit him. He woke up in the hospital to find out that he was a paraplegic and lost his bowel, bladder, and sexual function.

Expert witnesses presented evidence at trial that the cost to care for Liciaga at a nursing facility for the remainder of his life is $40 million. The jury also provided nearly $10 million for the past three years of medical expenses and $60 million for pain and suffering.

Of course, the defense attorneys for New York City Transit said they will appeal the verdict as “grossly excessive.” We hope the jury’s verdict is not settled and that the plaintiff’s attorneys let the appellate division determine the proper verdict, which could be as much as $50 Million.

How Much Are 8 Broken Ribs Worth? Milk Money

Elvina Pereira, a customer at a feed store, was invited to view the feed store’s pet black Angus cow, which had recently given birth to two calves.

But as the employee approached the calves, the cow charged at the customer breaking eight ribs.

Two of the broken ribs were displaced. She also had neck and back pain.

Elvina Pereira spent two days in intensive care at Stanford Medical Center.

According to The Mercury News and pressfrom.info, a jury awarded Pereira $2,452,825.

The jury verdict was broken down as follows:

$114,600 for past medical bills
$1.3 million for future medical expenses
$250,000 for past pain and suffering, and
$750,000 for future pain and suffering

This is one cow that gave more than milk money!

This CT scan shows a rib broken in two places

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$10.4 Million Ankle Injury Jury Verdict Upheld on Appeal

The New York Appellate Division mostly upheld a 2017 jury multi-million dollar verdict in the Bronx for an ankle injury, slightly reducing it to $10.4 million.

The plaintiff was a woman in her early 30s when she fell down a flight of stairs injuring her ankle and legs.

In the case, AMINATA KROMAH v 2265 DAVIDSON REALTY LLC AND LANGSAM PROPERTY SERVICES CORP., the trial jury found that the property manager failed to maintain the stairs in proper condition.

The jury awarded the plaintiff $6.1 million for pain and suffering, which was a record verdict at the time for an ankle injury. The Appellate Division upheld the pain-and-suffering award. The additional money was awarded for medical care.

The defense argued that the award was not reasonable compensation for pain and suffering and also objected to the award for future medical expenses because there was no evidence the plaintiff would need some of the medical treatment claimed.

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What Makes a Million Dollar Trial Lawyer? The Right Attitude

The two most important attributes of a Million Dollar Trial Lawyer™ are the right attitude and the ability to really understand the art of negotiation.

Any lawyer can try a good case, but only great lawyers will try a difficult case. My partner and I frequently take cases that not one but several other lawyers have declined. The reason other personal injury lawyers declined those cases and why we took them is the right attitude.

We know how to turn things around and use problems to our advantage. In politics, that’s called spin. Injury Lawyers are supposed to represent their clients zealously without lying but presenting the facts in a light favorable to their client is an appropriate and ethical spin. It’s turning lemons into lemonade.

An example of how we think and spin the facts around is an interview by CBS with founder and President Ren Zhengfei of Chinese telecom tech giant Huawei.

Answering a question about a threat from the US government by Vice President Mike Pence against European allies who continue to do business with Huawei, President Ren Zhengfei completely disarmed the threat by embracing, encouraging, and showing his enthusiasm for the threat.

This excerpt from the CBS interview shows how President Ren Zhengfei spun the threat:

“We cannot ensure the defense of the West if our allies grow dependent on the East,” Vice President Mike Pence said last week at the Munich Security Conference.

“Do you view that as a threat?” Golodryga asked Ren.

“First of all, I would like to thank them because they are great figures,” Ren said, adding, “5G was not known by common people. But now, these great figures are all talking about 5G… And we’re becoming more influential and getting more contracts.”

“I sense a little bit of sarcasm there,” Golodryga responded.

“Oh, please tell them – I’m actually thanking them for promoting us,” Ren said.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/huawei-founder-ren-zhengfei-5g-is-not-an-atomic-bomb/

Call one of the Million Dollar personal injury lawyers with the right attitude in the Million Dollar Trial Lawyers directory.

$52.5 Million Jury Verdict Awarded to Bicyclist

Congratulations to Stuart Mann, Esq. and the law firm of Mann & Maximon in Boulder, Colorado, for obtaining what has been reported as the largest jury verdict in Colorado state history.

A Denver bicyclist, Gary Suydam, age 53, was riding his bicycle home from work when he was struck by an oncoming car making a left turn. Left turn accidents where the car makes a left turn and hits a bicycle or motorcycle are common.

After being hit by the first car, Gary Suydam was struck again by another car. luckily, he survived but unfortunately, he was paralyzed. Articles about the case do not indicate whether Gary Suydam is a paraplegic or quadriplegic but judging from the size of the jury verdict and his age, it is likely that he is a quadriplegic.

This is an unusually interesting case in personal injury law with the question of whether a defendant driver was working at the time of the accident and was working within the scope of the defendant’s employment.

If the driver was working within the scope of the defendant’s employment, the employer’s large insurance policy and assets can be used to satisfy the huge multi-million dollar jury verdict.

The jury apparently found that the defendant was working within the scope of employment, and therefore the employer is liable to pay the $52.5 million jury verdict.

Of course, the jury verdict will be appealed and will likely be appealed on at least two issues, whether the defendant was operating within the scope of employment and whether the jury verdict was excessive. This was a great job by Attorney Stuart Mann and will likely result in a lot of money for his deserving client.

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Can Dental Injuries Be Worth $1 Million?

They can, when dental injuries are in addition to more serious injuries.

A man who was injured in a bicycle accident on La Jolla Shores Drive, San Diego, California, sued the city of San Diego, alleging that while bicycling he hit a pothole in the roadway causing his injuries.

The case, Thomas Dorsey v. City of San Diego, was settled for $1 million. It wasn’t reported exactly how extensive the injuries were.

What’s interesting about this million-dollar settlement is exactly that. It wasn’t an abnormally high jury verdict but a negotiated settlement with the city of San Diego which resulted in $1 million for the injuries.

Cities have virtually unlimited resources to defend personal injury lawsuits and are usually known for offering love settlements were going to trial. Since this was a settlement with a city, it goes to show that they recognized fault for causing the accident and the seriousness of the injuries.

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Can a Soft Tissue Injury Be Worth $1 Million?

Insurance companies love to say you only have a soft tissue injury! They try to make it sound like it’s not worth much money.

The fact is that some soft tissue injuries are not worth much money. If you have a sprain that goes away in a few days, it’s not worth much money, and it’s not likely you will find a million-dollar lawyer willing to take your case.

However, soft tissue injuries can easily be worth $1 million or more. Many soft tissue injuries require surgery and will result in serious permanent restrictions, loss of mobility, and substantial pain. These types of injuries usually get worse over time and can be severely debilitating later in life.

In my law practice, we have settled several soft tissue neck and back injuries for $1 million and more where surgery was required. In each of these cases, our clients even had previous existing injuries and prior surgery. Our client was that the previous existing injury was made much worse.

Some of the types of soft tissue injuries that can result in settlements or verdicts of nearly $1 million or more are:

Torn ligaments of the neck, back, shoulder, wrist, knee, or ankle
Avulsions
Scars
Concussion

Technically, a concussion or hemorrhage/hematoma in the brain is a soft tissue injury that is usually worth $1 million or more.

If you have a soft tissue injury from an accident, don’t decide for yourself whether it’s worth pursuing. Call a personal injury lawyer for a free consultation to find out if your soft tissue injury is worth pursuing.

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When Should I Speak with a Lawyer after an Accident?

How much time do you have to speak with a lawyer after you have been injured in an accident? Not as much time as you think. You may think that you have plenty of time to speak with a lawyer after your accident because the statute of limitations is a number of years.

But that’s deceivingly not true. You may not have anywhere near as much time as you think or you may even have more time than you think.

The problem is that many people are familiar with the statute of limitations, so they often wait thinking there’s still time, and then find that it’s either too late or lawyers don’t want the case even if there is still time. But there are many other time factors besides the statute of limitations.

Read further to find out why it’s important to speak with a personal injury lawyer immediately after your accident.

What is the statute of limitations?

The statute of limitations is the time within which a lawsuit must be filed.

Can you file a lawsuit after the statute of limitations has expired?

No. However, the important question is when did the time start to run. You may think it began to run at the time of your accident, but that may or may not be true.

For instance, if the person injured is a minor, then the time will begin to run when the injured person reaches the age of majority.

In medical malpractice, it’s very complicated to determine when the time begins to run, and it’s different in different states.

How long is the statute of limitations for personal injury and accidents?

The statute of limitations for personal injury differs by state. The statute of limitations is as short as one year in three states and six years in three other states, but in most states, the statute of limitations is two or three years.

Your lawyer may decide that a government entity needs to be sued. The statute of limitations against government entities is usually very short.

Why can’t I wait until just before the statute of limitations expires?

There are many problems that can occur if you wait to speak with a lawyer. Besides the statute of limitations, there are many other shorter time limits to file various claims for benefits.

Some time limits are as short as days, not years!

You may have some time limits of as short as 30 days to file a claim. For instance, to get your medical bills paid and receive lost wages when you’re injured in a car accident in New York, you must file a no-fault claim within 30 days.

An uninsured or underinsured claim may have to be filed within 90 days.

If your lawsuit will involve a government as a defendant, you may have only 90 days to file a Notice of Claim. And the statute of limitations may be much shorter for government defendants. for instance, a common time limit is 90 days to file a Notice of Claim and one year after that to file a lawsuit.

Warning: Do not assume that your case will not have a government defendant. It may not be obvious to you but will be to personal injury lawyers. If you miss the deadline, you may not be able to find a personal injury lawyer willing to take your case.

Consequently, call a lawyer immediately after your accident. Waiting for a better time is never a good idea.

You may not be able to find an accident lawyer willing to take your case

You may have ruined your case

In the months that go by, you may have already ruined your case. There are a lot of ways that you can ruin your case from doing or saying things you should not have to not doing things you should have.

It may be too late to sue some defendants

If you call a lawyer several months before the statute of limitations will run on your accident case, you may find that lawyers are not willing to take your case because they don’t have enough time to properly investigate your case. They will be worried they could commit legal malpractice if they don’t sue a defendant that needed to be sued.

It may be difficult to determine all of the people, companies, or government entities responsible that need to be sued. Often, a lawsuit is started, and after depositions, the lawyer discovers that there is another person or company that needs to be sued.

The problem is that it can take 6-24 months before depositions are conducted, and it could be too late to start a lawsuit against that defendant.

The personal injury law firm where I started working had a case that involved a client with very serious injuries. It was very difficult to determine what companies owned and operated the vehicle that caused the injuries. Multiple defendants were sued, and all denied owning or operating the vehicle.

After the defendants were questioned at their depositions, three years after the accident, it was discovered that the wrong companies were sued and the right company was not. It was too late, and the law firm had committed legal malpractice. This is why law firms don’t like taking cases long after the accident.

How long can I wait before calling an accident lawyer?

There is no way anyone can tell you how long you can wait, but you should call a personal injury lawyer immediately after you are injured in an accident or as soon as you possibly can.

There is no reason not to call because personal injury lawyers give a free consultation, and you have no obligation to hire the lawyer.

If you’re not sure whether you should call a personal injury lawyer either because your injury isn’t that serious or because you’re not the type of person to file a lawsuit, you should call immediately anyway and think about it later.

If you don’t think your injury is serious enough, you might be wrong. Your injury may be worth a lot more than you think, and your injury might get a lot worse as time goes by.

If you’re not the type of person that likes to file lawsuits, you should know that most personal injury clients are just like you. You might think that you’ll deal with your injury, but you should know that injuries get much worse over time, and by the time you’re in your 60s or 70s, previously minor injuries start getting serious.

The majority of the money that you get with your lawsuit is not for your injury today but is for what will happen to you in the future.

Call one of the personal injury lawyers in the Million Dollar Trial Lawyers directory.