Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers helped our client, a victim of multiple related personal injuries, get a $3.8 million award. After interest and costs, the amount will be close to $4.8 million to help with his ongoing care.
On September 13, 2017, our client sat in his wheelchair in a medical van in Ville Platte, Louisiana. Rapides Regional Medical Center treated him for a stroke, and he was on his way to rehabilitate at a facility at Mercy Regional Medical Center. Our client’s journey to recovery came to an abrupt halt, however, when the van driver, our client, made a move that would set the patient on a markedly different path.
The van was headed down Main Street, a two-lane, one-way road, when the van driver turned left—from the right lane—into a gas station. A pickup truck that was traveling in the left lane struck the van. The collision caused our client to slip out of his seat belt, which then got caught on his neck, stretching it.
Uncovering the Injuries
Our client was transported back to Rapides Regional Medical Center, where an orthopedic doctor conducted a CT scan. The physician discovered that our client had a congenital fracture of his C2 vertebra that the crash had destabilized. After receiving a fusion and physical therapy, our client was sent home, where he continued receiving home health therapy.
Ongoing Suffering
Unfortunately, our client’s suffering had only just begun.
He eventually had a subsequent fusion surgery to treat symptoms of a pinched nerve in his arm. With this surgery, our client struggles with the difficulties that accompany a full neck fusion. Maintaining balance became a real challenge, and a plague of headaches ultimately forced our client to seek neurological treatment.
The issues continued, however, culminating in another accident.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientAnother Accident and Additional Injuries
One day, as our client worked to discard items into a dumpster, he lost his balance and fell into the container. The incident occurred around one year after our client’s second fusion, and it left the 65-year-old man with non-displaced fractures to his clavicle and ribs. This led to even more physical therapy—and a prognosis for likely future fusion revision.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientSeeking Damages in a Lawsuit Against the Medical Van Company That Caused His Accident
In the short time since our client’s initial medical van accident, he had gone from being a vibrant man who enjoyed running to a man who needed his wife’s help to walk—a man whose enjoyment and quality of life took a serious and inescapable downturn.
Vicarious Liability Makes Van Company Liable
Our client demanded justice. From his perspective, his life took this detour the day of the medical van crash. He hired Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers to pursue compensation from the parties whose negligence had torn his life apart.
We sued the van driver and Reliant Transportation, the company that owned the van transporting our client on the day of his initial accident. Under the doctrine of vicarious liability, Reliant Transportation was liable for the driver’s actions that day. Our client also sued the company’s insurer.
Recovering Damages for Medical Expenses and More
In the complaint, we demanded that the defendants compensate our client for:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Diminished enjoyment of life
- Mental pain and suffering
- Physical pain and suffering
The defense counsel protested with arguments that our client’s congenital conditions were at the root of his ongoing disabilities and his need for surgeries. However, we insisted that our client would have made a full recovery had it not been for the collision caused by the medical van driver.
Our client Wins Millions in Verdict for Medical Van Accident
A jury deliberated and decided in our client’s favor. They found the medical van driver fully liable. As a result, the jury awarded our client $3,316,421. His wife, Robbie, also received an additional $500,000 for her derivative claim of loss of consortium.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientLaborde Earles Injury Lawyers Fights for the Rights of Louisiana Accident Victims
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers represents people who have suffered injuries due to other people’s negligence. We serve clients in Lafayette, Alexandria, Marksville, New Orleans, and surrounding parishes.
If you suffered injuries in an accident, we will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Call us today at (337) 777-7777 for a free consultation.
