A repairman checked into a Maine casino’s employee entrance. He haphazardly left his toolbox in the middle of the busy entryway and stepped outside. Moments later, a longtime employee entered through the door and greeted everyone as she had done for years. However, she failed to notice the toolbox. As a result, she tripped and fell, landing on her right arm. She tore her rotator cuff and fractured her elbow out of place.
As time passed, her injuries aggravated considerably. She began experiencing abnormal, severe pain and swelling at the location of her injuries. Doctors diagnosed her with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), an incurable condition dubbed “the suicide disease,” as well as thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS), a disorder inducing significant inflammation and numbness. Her attorney needed to visualize how the fall affected her nervous system, causing not one but two lifelong, excruciating disabilities.
Due to her debilitating pain and constant swelling, the woman was unable to return to work. She filed for workers’ compensation to stay financially afloat through her slow and arduous recovery. After processing her claim, a workers’ compensation attorney referred her to Michael Bigos of Berman & Simmons. Michael agreed to take on her case and planned to show why the slip-and-fall accident caused her two agonizing complications. After obtaining the casino’s surveillance footage, Michael called on DK Global to illustrate the woman’s injuries and demonstrate why she deserved restitution.
The presentation began with security camera footage capturing the Defendant negligently leaving his toolbox in the middle of the walkway. Next, the woman tripped, fell, and writhed in pain. The demonstrative then transitioned from real-life video to a 3D model of the Plaintiff’s broken, luxated elbow and torn rotator cuff. The camera zoomed in further and displayed her medical imagery alongside her 3D shoulder to better visualize her injury. To evince the nuance and complexity of CRPS and TOS, the animation revealed how the trauma compressed her nerves, arteries, and veins, constricting her blood flow. Ultimately, the shift in her sympathetic nervous system caused it to become more sensitive, inducing CRPS symptoms: irregular pain and numbness relative to her injury. Finally, the woman’s surgical procedures correcting her torn rotator cuff were animated, validating the great lengths she undertook in an attempt to recover.
Michael Bigos handles complex personal injury cases. He is a Past President of the Maine Trial Lawyers Association and has served as a Governor of the American Association for Justice. He has received the “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell and was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.” Michael has also been named a “Super Lawyer” for achieving remarkable results through hard work and cutting-edge trial skills.
