Speeding down a street in Los Angeles, a driver lost control of his vehicle after hitting a bump in the road. He veered to the right and crashed into the back of 36-year-old John Doe’s SUV. John was lawfully parked, enjoying his lunch break, when his vehicle crumpled around him. He suffered catastrophic, life-changing injuries. Remarkably, John rebounded enough that the hospital discharged him two weeks later. Still, he was afflicted by his wounds’ residual and underlying effects, impacting his quality of life and ability to work. When the Defense underestimated the severity of John’s damages due to his incredible improvement, his attorney needed a visualization of his traumas to show why he deserved proper compensation.
After the accident, first responders rushed John to the hospital, where medical imagery revealed a collapsed lung, as well as fractures to his skull, spine, and nine of his ribs. Moreover, MRIs revealed air in his cranium, evidence of a severe traumatic brain injury that induced several cognitive issues, including depression, anxiety, impaired memory, and reoccurring headaches.
John retained an attorney who referred the case to David M. Blain of The Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker. With the Defendant undoubtedly liable, David focused on conveying and quantifying John’s damages. Preparing to take the case to trial, he organized a team of 12 medical experts to assess John’s injuries, ranging from neuropsychologists to pulmonologists. However, without actually being able to visualize his marred bones and organs, David expected difficulty persuading the Defense and a potential jury to value John’s traumas properly. As a result, David called on DK Global to create an expert-guided animation that communicated the gravity of John’s impairments, ultimately refuting the Defense’s claims.
The presentation began with a witness’s photo of John unconscious in his wrecked car moments after the crash. Then, the view transitioned to a 3D model of him, displaying his scalp hematoma, spinal fractures, broken ribs, pneumothorax, and more. Next, illustrations depicted his emergency laminectomy procedure, where portions of his vertebrae were removed and replaced with surgical hardware to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord. Finally, using the MRIs and neuropsychologist’s testimony, a 3D brain was modeled, highlighting the location of his traumas and the associated cognitive deficits.
After two days of mediation, David refused to settle the case and geared up for trial. Then, just two days before the court date, the Defense contacted David and agreed to settle the case for $8 million, an amount to aid in John’s lifetime of recovery and loss of earnings.
For ten years, David M. Blain of the Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker has represented plaintiffs in personal injury, product liability, and government tort claims. David strives to serve his clients and help them put their lives back together after suffering through traumatic injuries. Notably, David has represented plaintiffs in numerous class-action lawsuits, including the YAZ/Yasmin/Ocella litigation against the drug manufacturer, Bayer, resulting in several multi-million-dollar settlements.
