On a sunny Monday morning, a car rental company in Seattle, Washington, prepared its reservations for the day. One employee rushed to move the vehicles through the parking lot. Swerving recklessly in a large truck and failing to observe his surroundings, he slammed into a 22-year-old co-worker who was on foot. The woman hit the ground forcefully, suffering life-changing injuries. Edward K. Le and Mike Kittleson of Le & Kittleson, Personal Injury Attorneys attained the woman a $5.9M settlement. To do so, they augmented mountains of evidence with a damages animation that highlighted her injuries and surgeries.
After she was hit, the woman was taken to an emergency room in an ambulance. Medical imagery revealed broken ribs, brain hemorrhaging, a spleen laceration so severe it needed to be removed, and more. She also experienced cognitive difficulties, epilepsy, debilitating anxiety, hearing loss, and anosmia — signs of a traumatic brain injury.
The woman’s family contacted Edward K. Le and Mike Kittleson to meet with her as she recovered. The duo offered their support and guidance in navigating through the complex medical and insurance processes.
After three to four months, the woman made a remarkable recovery. Neuropsychology examinations found considerable improvements from her initial evaluation. Unsurprisingly, the Defense contested the severity of her damages, employing several strategies to thwart Edward and Mike’s attempt to resolve the case.
To refute the Defense’s claims, Edward and Mike used their robust network of medical professionals to evaluate their client: a neurotologist assessed the woman’s hearing loss and difficulty balancing; an epileptologist investigated her post-traumatic epilepsy; an otolaryngologist helped treat her anosmia. The team of medical professionals, including the radiologists and her surgeon who removed her spleen, were ready to attest to why she deserved compensation.
As Edward and Mike prepared for trial, they evaluated all their medical records, reports, and expert testimony. With so many individual data points, they recognized that jurors could filter the evidence subjectively. Thus, they partnered with DK Global to ensure their arguments were interpreted similarly by the jurors regardless of culture, experience, politics, or ideology. Together, they created an animation that condensed the woman’s injuries into a comprehensive, persuasive presentation.
The animation began with a 3D model of the Plaintiff’s likeness. The camera panned up and down to reveal the woman’s impairments, including a brain bleed, a large scalp hematoma, and post-traumatic epilepsy. Then, CT scans of the woman’s fractures were highlighted and shown alongside the model to specify the location and severity of her injuries. After the woman’s overwhelming number of afflictions were displayed, her corrective procedures were recreated, showing metal rods and screws securing her broken bones. Finally, the woman’s medical imagery was highlighted to indicate where brain damage occurred and the corresponding deficits.
Edward and Mike met with the opposing counsel and offered a final opportunity to resolve the matter for an appropriate amount before taking the case to trial. After viewing the animation, the Defense offered to settle the case for $5.9M – nearly three times more than their initial offer.
For over 25 years, Edward K. Le has represented the survivors of catastrophic injuries and was recognized amongst the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers for Washington” by the National Trial Lawyers Association. Edward has earned the Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating of “AV Preeminent,” a prestigious accomplishment given to the most respected attorneys for their legal expertise.
Since 2015, Partner Mike Kittleson has focused his practice advocating for those who suffered harm due to the negligence of others. Recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in Renton, Washington” and a “Rising Star,” Mike was also awarded a place amongst The National Trial Lawyers: “Top 40 Under 40”.
