A distracted driver merged into a lane without checking if it was safe. He crashed into a 70-year-old woman driving next to him. The collision aggravated a pre-existing brain injury she suffered in an accident three years prior. When her initial attorney failed to build a case around her TBI, the woman contacted Pius Joseph of the Law Offices of Pius Joseph. Taking a more effective approach, Pius centered his strategy on illustrating the woman’s brain damage.

Pius scheduled the woman to be evaluated by a neurologist to document her symptoms and prove she had sustained a serious brain injury. Medical imagery taken of her brain revealed evidence of axonal shearing and hemosiderin deposits (trauma-induced bleeding). However, because of the woman’s age, Pius anticipated the Defense would undervalue her case and contend her injuries stemmed from degeneration.

The Defense retained a neuropsychologist who examined the woman and testified she suffered no brain damage. During the first mediation, the opposing counsel offered to settle the matter for just $10,000. Pius declined and welcomed the opposition to try the case, warning he would contend the integrity of the Defense’s examination. To prepare for trial and better visualize his client’s damages, Pius worked with DK Global to enhance the woman’s medical imagery and show the mechanism of her brain injury.

The animation commenced with a molecular view of the woman’s brain, illustrating how a diffuse axonal injury occurred. The woman’s axons stretched and sheared due to the collision’s rotational forces, damaging her brain’s synaptic transmission. Then, to show the location of the woman’s brain damage, her MRIs were colorized and superimposed onto a 3D model that looked like her. Finally, the woman’s mental impairments were listed: depression, debilitating headaches, anxiety, and sensitivity to light.

Thirty days before trial, the Defense offered to mediate the case. Pius shared the DK Global animation with the mediator and the opposing counsel. Finally, after realizing the depth of the woman’s traumatic brain injury, the Defense agreed to a $925,000 settlement.

Pius Joseph is a seasoned attorney based in Pasadena, California, with over 25 years of experience. A member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Pius received multiple million-dollar verdicts representing clients involved in personal injury and product liability cases. Pius prides himself on championing his clients’ cases, stating, “A doctor is someone who cures the patient, and a lawyer is the one who finds solutions for the human problems, making their suffering less.”