In the early hours of the morning, a Pasadena man rushed off to work and carelessly turned left on a green light, without first checking for any oncoming vehicles who would have the right-of-way. In his haste to get to his job, this man’s thoughtless decision caused him to turn directly in front of Mr. Segura, who was heading straight into the intersection on his Vespa. Because Mr. Segura should have had the right-of-way, he was not expecting this driver to turn in front of him, and he was unable to stop in time. Mr. Segura collided with the careless driver’s vehicle and suffered devastating injuries as a result – including splenic lacerations, rib fractures, and numerous spinal contusions.
Ted Wacker and Michelle Hemesath, at the Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker, came to Mr. Segura’s aid after this life-changing incident and filed a complaint with the courts on their client’s behalf. The Defense did their best to undervalue Mr. Segura’s injuries, so Ted and Michelle came straight to DK Global for an animation that would remove any doubt from the viewer’s mind. With an animation from DK Global, Ted and Michelle were able to bring the one-dimensional medical imagery to life and convey the seriousness of Mr. Segura’s injuries.
DK Global created a character model with an astonishing likeness to Mr. Segura to show the external bruising that he suffered. Then, the animation dove deeper to show the viewers Mr. Segura’s internal injuries that they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to see. The injuries that were depicted included a “flail chest,” along with knee, ankle, and spinal damage, giving the viewer a clearer picture of the tremendous pain that Mr. Segura had endured. The animation then showed the plethora of hardware used to repair Mr. Segura’s rib fractures. Finally, the viewers were able to see an animation of Mr. Segura’s laminectomy, a procedure where the back of his vertebrae was removed to relieve the pressure on his spinal cord, which helped demonstrate to the viewers the invasiveness of his rehabilitative efforts.
Initially, the Defense refused to even pay the underlying $1 Million policy, but with DK Global’s visuals, Ted Wacker and Michelle Hemesath of TBW Law were able to reach a $3.5 Million settlement before trial.
Trial attorney and Golden Advocate Award winner, Ted Wacker, has been litigating cases for nearly 25 years. He specializes in catastrophic injury cases, including medical malpractice, elder abuse, and mass tort cases. In 2013 and 2014, Mr. Wacker tried numerous cases and won them all with noteworthy verdicts. He has also been selected as a California Super Lawyer from 2013-2017.
Michelle Hemesath has considerable experience in representing victims involved in catastrophic incidents. She graduated in the top 20% of her class and received awards in Complex Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She has also received the Maria Shinh Award for Diversity Awareness and Service, serves as Vice President of the Women Lawyers of Long Beach, and is a member of several professional associations, including the Orange County Asian American Bar Association and Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles (CAALA).
