This week we're highlighting Rahul Ravipudi and Robert Glassman of Panish Shea & Boyle LLP for their Golden Advocate Most Worthy Cause Award!

The Most Worthy Cause Award celebrates a case which not only touched our hearts but reignited our passion for what we do. The attorneys who take on cases such as these make a conscientious decision to walk the balance between being fierce and sensitive, simultaneously taking on the grievance of a family and the voice of the decedent.

An afternoon school-sponsored pool party ended in tragedy when a 13-year-old boy drowned due to improper lifeguard scheduling and failure to provide CPR. Rahul Ravipudi and Robert Glassman of Panish Shea & Boyle represented the family in this heart-rending case seeking answers and proper reparations to ensure this tragedy never happens to another family again. Ravipudi and Glassman sought a reconstruction animation to set the scene that leads to this accident to help create a lasting impression on a jury of the gross negligence the faculty had shown. 

3D Animations – Setting the Pace and Painting the Picture 

The presentation began with a 3D model with a similar likeness to the child, accompanied by surveillance footage to help paint a picture of what transpired that day. The boy is seen floating in the pool, but the scene quickly turns for the worst when he is unable to keep his head above water. The presentation transitions to a segment depicting what happens when someone takes on too much water: the larynx involuntarily closes, making it impossible to breathe, resulting in loss of consciousness. Surveillance shows the young boy goes unnoticed for several minutes until classmates pull him up, calling for help. Student lifeguards are seen coming shortly after, but due to their inexperience and lack of guidance, they fail to perform life-saving procedures. By the time paramedics arrived, the child had been without oxygen for almost 9 minutes.

DK Global’s medical illustrations paired with the surveillance footage helped the jury come to an informed decision that the gross negligence shown for the school faculty could have been avoided and needed just atonement. Attorneys Ravipudi and Glassman secured an $11 million settlement on behalf of the boy’s family and pressured the local legislature to create a water safety bill the ensure this avoidable tragedy never happens again.