Facts

The plaintiff was rear-ended at a red light and suffered serious injuries. The plaintiff filed suit, alleging that the defendant was negligent and not paying attention to the road when he collided with the plaintiff's vehicle.

Defendant claimed that plaintiff cut in front of him, and that impact was at less than 5 mph and therefore could not have caused any injuries.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
At trial, defense claimed that this was a minimal impact collision resulting in minimal property damage (none to defendant's vehicle and less than $2,000 to plaintiff's vehicle), that the forces generated in the collision were inconsistent with and/or below any injury threshold, and that any injury possibly suffered by plaintiff would be minor soft tissue injuries to the neck and upper back, which should have resolved with or without therapy within 2 to 3 months after the accident.

Injuries

Plaintiff alleged injuries to her neck, back, shoulders, and inner ear. A neurological consult for the headaches and dizziness was obtained 22 months post-collision.

Result

The jury awarded the plaintiff $262,601.

Other Information

FILING DATE: June 30, 2011.

Deliberation

one day

Length

seven days