A sleepy country road became the site of disaster when a tractor driver took an unexpected turn, nearly killing a passing motorcyclist. The motorcyclist, a recent retiree looking forward to his coming years of relaxation, had almost passed the industrial tractor when it veered left to turn into a small, nondescript alley. The retiree slid his motorcycle to the ground between the tractor and the set of harrows on the back of the farm vehicle to avoid a fatal collision. He skidded and became lodged under the tractor’s hitch. Nonetheless, the tractor completed its turn and kept driving. The motorcyclist was dragged along the back of the tractor for nearly 30 feet before it stopped, by which time the victim’s leg was severely mangled.
The motorcyclist was rushed to a nearby hospital, where an acclaimed orthopedic surgeon immediately went to work trying to save the injured leg. The medical team used a litany of hardware, including screws, nails, and metal rods, to try and save the motorcyclist’s limb, but it eventually had to be amputated. The surgery took three times as long as a typical amputation procedure because the motorcyclist had several complex fractures along his tibia and fibula, as well as severe burns and degloving injuries.
The motorcyclist and his wife called trial attorney Billy Jones of Jones Osteen Jones a few months after the accident. Billy visited the victim in the hospital to discuss the case and get the necessary facts and documents. He pored through boxes and boxes of medical records to learn every gruesome medical procedure that his client went through after the accident.
It was clear to Billy that the case lay less in proving liability and then in establishing the severity of the Plaintiff’s injuries. He enlisted the help of expert lifecare planners and orthopedic surgeons for the trial. However, Billy realized that he needed a way to present the Plaintiff’s injuries visually in a way that clearly communicated his client’s extreme suffering to a jury.
For the first time in his 50 years of practicing law, Billy sought the help of a company that could create a compelling animation of the accident’s consequences. A friend recommended DK Global. Together, they worked on an animation that could command a jury’s attention without losing viewers amid complex medical jargon.
The video began with an animated character depiction of the Plaintiff and his skeleton, along with his numerous injuries. These included a left scapular fracture and three broken ribs on his upper body and deep lacerations, muffler burns, internal degloving, and the many deforming fractures on the left proximal fibula, tibia, metatarsi, and foot joint. Next, the animation showed the initial surgical procedures performed to save the Plaintiff’s leg: the placement of an annulated screw through the bottom of the leg, the insertion of a 10mm nail along the tibia, the placement of two screws in the top of the tibia and three screws in the bottom tibia, and the use of slurry paste to patch up missing bone voids in the fracture. Then, the animation showed the entire process of the Plaintiff’s left leg amputation. These measures included clipping vascular connections, removing all the previously inserted hardware, sawing off and smoothing the leg bone, and snipping off the excess nerves and veins. Finally, the video portrayed the amputated leg and the healing actions to secure the wound.
Billy was sure the animation was the perfect secret weapon he needed to settle the case. He gave the Defendants a time limit demand, which they asked to extend until after mediation. The Defense showed up to mediation stacked with a team of various lawyers, insurance agents, and high-level experts. After days of mediation, Billy demanded the Defense stop wasting his and his client’s time. They agreed to a $4,000,000 settlement, paid within 30 days.
Billy Jones is a personal injury trial attorney with Jones Osteen Jones, deeply rooted in his home state of Georgia and operating out of Hinesville. Billy's dedication to his community led him to serve as president of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, and he is currently a distinguished member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Recognized as Savannah, Georgia’s 2020 Lawyer of the Year, he is also routinely selected as one of the Best Lawyers in America. With a law practice spanning over 50 years, Billy predominantly focuses on cases of wrongful death and traumatically injured plaintiffs.
