625000 award for doctor in car crash
Meyers & Flowers trial attorneys Craig Brown and Brian Perkins recently obtained a substantial award for a Kane County physician seriously injured in an automobile collision.
In February 2011, Mr. Brown’s client Doctor Smith had just finished his shift at a local hospital and was driving his son to a sporting event. A 20-year-old driver crossed the center line and struck the doctor’s car head on.
Initially, the young defendant claimed she was not responsible for the crash because another unidentified driver forced her to cross the center line. Mr. Brown and Mr. Perkins retained an accident reconstruction expert who inspected the scene and the vehicles involved, and concluded the defendant was solely responsible for the accident.
Doctor Smith suffered multiple fractures to his shoulder which required surgical repair. The defendant’s lawyers tried to minimize the significance of the doctor’s damages by arguing that he made an excellent recovery from his surgery and had returned to work full time only 4 months after the crash.
Mr. Brown was able to obtain compelling testimony from his client’s surgeon who opined that he may need to remove some of the screws he implanted to repair the fractures, and Doctor Smith may need a shoulder replacement surgery within the next 15-20 years.
Fortunately, Mr. Brown and Mr. Perkins were able to meet with Dr. Smith shortly after the crash and were thus able to retain their accident reconstruction expert before any crucial evidence was destroyed.
The defendant’s insurance company agreed to pay $625,000 to settle Dr. Smith’s case shortly before trial was scheduled to begin.