The foliage of a neglectfully-kept orange tree’s excessive overgrowth cast a shadow over an otherwise sunny day. Branches and leaves rose higher than they should have, making contact with a nearby power line. As a result, a man hired to pick fruit from the tree suffered third- and fourth-degree burns as well as a traumatic brain injury after being electrocuted. The case fell on the desk of personal injury lawyer Pius Joseph of the Law Offices of Pius Joseph after the client’s previous representation failed to handle the lawsuit adequately.
Joseph immediately called on an expert electrical engineer and arboriculturist to examine the electrocution site. According to the two experts, the excess foliage between trees overlapped with faulty power lines. This overlap caused electricity to travel from the power lines, through the trees, to finally into the client. The jolt was so powerful that it threw him off his ladder and caused a life-altering traumatic brain injury. In addition, the heat from the electric current was so great that it caused third- and fourth-degree burns — where damage penetrates down to the muscle — from head to toe.
The Defense went all in on a claim that the cause of electrocution was not foliage overgrowth but the client’s ladder making contact with the power lines. Not wanting to risk a jury being influenced by the Defense’s alternative “ladder theory,” Pius approached the case with an openness to settle in mediation.
However, the initial damages claim did not adequately address the client’s brain trauma, which ranged from hearing loss to memory problems and trouble seeing. Pius arranged appointments for his client with a number of medical experts, including neurological examinations, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other treatments. With such severe injuries, Pius knew that the most effective way to visualize the extent of both the burns and the brain damage was by using an animation. He approached DK Global for help.
The first half of the animation began with a 3D full-body view of the client before zooming in on the burns on his legs. The realistic renders were highlighted in red to emphasize the extent and depth of the Plaintiff’s charred flesh. The camera traveled up the front of his body, first capturing the arc flash entry point in his right knee. Next, third- and fourth-degree burns to the Plaintiff’s hands and arms came into view. The focal point rotated to the man’s back, revealing extensive burns along both scapulae. Then, the camera migrated to the man’s head, displaying the grotesque burns from the electricity’s exit point. Last, the presentation modeled the numerous musculoskeletal injuries that the man sustained after falling from his ladder — cervical disc bulges, tears along the right shoulder and arm, as well as disc protrusions and ligament hypertrophy along the entirety of his lumbar spine.
The second half of the video focuses on the client’s brain damage, first highlighting areas of damage in the client’s MRIs and then using a 3D model of his brain. The animation highlighted the brain structure and brain functions of each area, matching them to the sites of the client’s brain damage. From the imbalance and slurred speech from brainstem and cerebellum injuries to
depression and constant headaches due to his damaged frontal lobe, the presentation listed the sequelae by each electrocuted brain region.
After nearly 100 depositions, Joseph was settled the case in mediation. When Joseph first received the case, the Defendants were prepared to offer the victim nothing. However, when the case finally concluded, his client received a settlement in the seven figures.
Pius Joseph is a Pasadena-based personal injury attorney who has devoted the last 25 years to helping victims of catastrophic events such as truck accidents, severe brain injuries, and other incidents resulting in significant damage. He is a champion for his clients, and his efforts have garnered him a 90% success rate, with many settlements reaching several million dollars.
