An inattentive driver drove through the streets of Anaheim, in Orange County, California, on a Sunday morning. He proceeded into an intersection on an unprotected left turn and impeded the path of a 35-year-old motorcyclist named Jose. With nowhere to go, Jose collided with the vehicle’s side at 35 miles per hour and ejected onto the street. Rob Marcereau of Marcereau & Nazif, a trial attorney and co-founder of RiderzLaw, used an animation at trial to visualize Jose’s damages. He secured a $4,000,000 verdict, one of the highest personal injury verdicts in the county to date.
Jose had catastrophic injuries from head to toe, including disc bulges, an open-book pelvic fracture, deep lacerations, and a testicular rupture. It was a miracle he was not paralyzed. To repair his broken bones, Jose underwent several surgeries and recovered in the hospital for two weeks. He contacted Rob Marcereau to help hold the driver accountable and obtain full compensation for his injuries. Rob filed his claim against the driver’s carrier and helped coordinate Jose’s medical treatment.
Over the course of litigation, Jose’s superficial injuries and fractures healed, but he suffered from lingering pain. Through perseverance, he returned to work as an active-duty marine. In fact, Jose passed the physical test, running three miles in 20 minutes. However, as a result, the Defense stated Jose’s injuries were not that serious and offered to settle the matter for $100,000.
Rob declined and prepared for trial, asserting Jose’s injuries were detrimental to his quality of life. He retained several medical experts to attest to the severity of Jose’s damages, including an orthopedic surgeon. In addition, because Jose looked to be in good health by all outward appearances, Rob needed a way to illustrate the gravity of his injuries. Thus, he shared his evidence and medical imagery with DK Global. The goal was to create an animated visual presentation that explained the extent of Jose’s afflictions and the surgeries he underwent.
The animation commenced with Jose’s likeness modeled in 3D, showing his knee’s lacerated bursa. Next, medical imagery was enhanced, colorized, and displayed adjacent to each injury: his left testicular rupture, his separated pelvis, and his disc bulges. Finally, the surgeries to repair his open-book pelvic fracture was recreated, depicting the clamps holding his pubic bones together as metal plates and screws were secured.
Rob presented the presentation to the Defense shortly before trial, receiving another settlement offer of $300,000, but he declined. At trial, Rob played the animation during his expert’s testimony. After seeing how the injuries impacted Jose’s health, the jury returned with a verdict of $4,000,000.
Rob Marcereau of Marcereau & Nazif is an award-winning personal injury lawyer representing victims of catastrophic motorcycle accidents. Rob has secured over $100 million throughout his career, earning him recognition amongst the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Additionally, Rob has been selected as a California Super Lawyer for his achievements and dedication to his clients.
