It was a dark icy night on the snowy highways of upstate Wisconsin. A semi-truck sped along, closely following an SUV — too closely for the slick conditions. A father at the wheel, the SUV carried a family of seven along with two of their friends. Mostly young teens, they headed to a basketball game at the local high school. Suddenly, a herd of deer darted across the road. The chatter in the car abruptly ended. The father swerved and slowed down to avoid a crash. A moment later, he screamed out, “We’re going to get hit!” The big rig’s lights filled the cabin before it rammed into the SUV, sending it flying into a roadside snow embankment.
Two of the children in the SUV, Katie and Charlie, along with their grandfather, Kenneth, were the most severely injured. The crash fractured Kenneth’s ribs and spine, requiring surgery to place metal rods to stabilize his back. Katie, seated at the very back, took the brunt of the impact. Both of her femurs were broken and her pelvis fractured in multiple places. Charlie, seated behind the driver’s seat, fractured his skull. Once the SUV came to rest, his neck hung suspended by his seatbelt, resulting in cerebral hypoxia. At the time, Charlie was 12 years old.
After consulting with a local attorney in Wisconsin, the family was referred to Louis Cairo and Louis Anthony Cairo of GWC Injury Attorneys. Fortunately, the father-son duo was able to jump on the case early in litigation. Louis had amassed over four decades of compassion for serious injury cases and wrongful death matters. Louis was determined to push the outcome as high as possible to take care of the family for the rest of their lives. Being so early in the case, his first concerns went towards liability.
Louis did not want the defense to stipulate liability. He wanted the opportunity to show a jury the truck driver’s fault and the severe circumstances in which his clients were injured. His strategy was to demonstrate to the insurance carriers the same evidence and narrative they intended to present to a jury. More than anything, he intended to push past mediation to put the decision in jurors’ hands — or to convince the defense to be worried enough in the process to make a fair settlement offer.
Their biggest obstacle was that the accident happened in one of the most conservative jurisdictions in the state of Wisconsin. Local mediators never failed to remind Louis and Louis Anthony that the type of money they were asking for would never happen in that county. So, the objective became: how would they get past a conservative jury? The Cairos knew it would be a tall order to obtain a meaningful amount for Charlie and his family unless they could engage a jury’s sensibilities. They needed to put together a complete picture of the accident to let the defense know they were ready for trial with a case strong enough to resonate with — and even potentially move — the most conservative jurors.
Louis and Louis Anthony brought on an accident reconstructionist and pediatric neurologist to explain the circumstances of how the accident happened and break down Charlie’s future neurological struggles. They knew they needed a demonstrative that could show the moments leading up to, and after, the accident. To grab the attention he wanted from a jury, he needed an animation.
With Louis’s eye for cinematic visuals, he contacted DK Global to create an animation worthy of a stubborn jury. The animation began with a bird’s eye view of the SUV driving the highway with the semi-truck behind it. As a herd of deer approached the road, the view shifted to the front of the SUV. It showed the SUV swerving around the deer. The view moved into the cabin of the SUV back row seat facing out the back window where the truck lights grew closer. The animation faced Katie through the back window as the truck grew closer, slamming into the rear of the SUV. A passenger view revealed Charlie’s position with the seatbelt around his neck. Anatomical visuals showed fractures and bulged discs in Charlie’s neck, causing hypoxia along with his fractured ribs. Side-by-side brain scans and slices highlighted his skull fracture and multiple brain hemorrhages. The sequence ended with a list of Charlie’s irreversible injuries.
Two additional animations showed Katie and Kenneth’s injuries and surgeries. Katie’s presentation detailed fractures to both femurs and her pelvis, followed by a surgical animation of pins and a metal rod inserted and secured in her femur. Kenneth’s presentation showed multiple rib fractures and a surgical animation of rods being installed in his spine.
As soon as Louis and Louis Anthony presented the animation, defense stipulated liability. At mediation, a well-known and respected mediator commended the Cairos’ mediation submission and the animations. However, true to the county’s fashion, he said the demand was ridiculous. Louis held steadfast that he would be presenting the animations to a jury. The defense went through multiple rounds of back and forth, each time coming back to Louis and Louis Anthony with an additional one or two million dollars. Eventually they arrived at a combined settlement of $22,850,000. The family decided the offer would be enough to be taken care of.
Louis C. Cairo is a veteran personal injury attorney with over 40 years of experience. As the leader of GWC Injury Lawyers, he has built a reputation for advocating on behalf of injured workers and families affected by negligence, securing substantial verdicts and settlements across Illinois. He is responsible for over $500,000,000 in client recoveries during his career with his firm obtaining over $2.5 billion in settlements and verdicts.
Louis Anthony Cairo has risen to partner at GWC Injury Attorneys. He has had multiple recognitions for Emerging Lawyer and has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer. Louis has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for his clients. He is known for his aggressive advocacy for seriously injured individuals and families affected by negligence, unsafe conditions, and workplace accidents
