When a driver senselessly sped through a red light at an intersection in Irvine, California, they violently collided with the Gomez family's vehicle, causing it to roll several times before landing upside down and severely injuring Elena and Oscar Gomez. The Gomezes were left hanging by their seatbelts, constricting their abdomens, until good Samaritans came to their aid. The two were rushed by ambulance to a local hospital, both sustaining life-long injuries to their spinal column. As a result of the collision, Elena suffered injuries and tears to her stomach, small intestine, and most of her abdomen.

Medical Illustrations Create Impact

Attorney David Blain, of the Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker, aided the Gomezes in their case against the reckless driver, entrusting the help of DK Global to create medical illustrations that depicted the catastrophic injuries they both sustained, and the surgical procedures needed to repair the damage to Elena’s abdomen.

The medical illustrations were used to show the invasive procedure that Elena endured in order to have her abdomen repaired. Her sigmoid colon, the walls of her stomach, and her small intestine were all resected and noted to have bleeding and tears as long as 10 centimeters. The illustrations were also used to show the hemorrhaging and fractures to both Elena and Oscar's spines, allowing the jury to fully grasp the magnitude of their injuries.

Once these visual demonstratives were shown during trial, the defense looked to settle the case with an amount of $1.5 Million - an amount that would aid the Gomezes in their lifelong medical care and compensate them for the devastating disruption of their lives.

David M. Blain of the Law Offices of Ted B. Wacker has been representing plaintiffs in personal injury actions for 10 years, including claims for product liability, assault and battery, and government tort liability. David strives to serve his clients and help them put their lives back together after suffering through a traumatic event. Notably, David has represented plaintiffs on numerous class action lawsuits, including the YAZ/Yasmin/Ocella litigation against the drug manufacturer, Bayer, in which women experienced life-threatening side effects from their birth control pill, resulting in multi-million dollar settlements.