On December 29, 2016, a warm and quiet Las Vegas morning quickly went from serene to tragic. When a fuel truck driver failed to check for pedestrians before carelessly making a right-hand turn into a crosswalk, he collided with a woman named Jane Doe.
Jane was biking to work that morning, lawfully crossing the intersection when the Defendant drove into her. The massive truck struck her, dragging her and her bike several feet across the pavement before she succumbed to her injuries. The driver reported that he had not seen Jane because a bus in front of him blocked his view. More importantly, however, the driver claimed the sun's position had made it difficult for him to see. First responders investigated the scene and, because of the Defendant’s statement, initially found Jane liable for the accident and her own death.
After suffering the tragic loss of a mother and wife, Jane’s family contacted Lawrence (Larry) J. Smith and Brett A. Carter of Bertoldo Baker Carter & Smith to represent them in their fight to unveil the truth about Jane's death.
The team at Bertoldo Baker Carter & Smith meticulously gathered information during discovery and found evidence that would ultimately disprove the Defendant’s claim. To illustrate the finer details that would help to attain justice for Jane and her family, Larry and Brett brought their experts and DK Global together to recreate the incident.
Larry and Brett retained an illumination expert who would testify to the direction of the sun at the time of Jane’s death and provide the data that would be used in the reconstruction animation. With their expert’s guidance, an accurate depiction of the lighting and the direction of the sun was detailed into the presentation, showing the Defendant’s point of view that morning. This critical component confirmed just how visible Jane was - and how her death would have been completely avoidable, if only the Defendant had taken a moment to check his surroundings.
After presenting the animation and evidence to the Defense, Larry and Brett were able to secure a substantial, confidential settlement for Jane’s family, and compensate them for their irreplaceable loss. Jane was also cleared of any fault for the incident.
Lawrence J. Smith is a respected attorney in the State of Nevada with over 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer, relentlessly advocating for his clients. As a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Lawrence has successfully recovered multiple multi-million-dollar verdicts on behalf of his clients. Lawrence was selected into the prestigious Super Lawyers collection in 2019, recognized by his peers for his professional achievements and philanthropy.
Brett A. Carter has been recognized with a multitude of awards for his work within the personal injury field since he began practicing in 1996, including The National Trial Lawyers “Top 100 Trial Lawyers”. He is a recipient of “America's Top 100 Attorneys Lifetime Achievement” and actively participates in speaking engagements. Outside of the courtroom, Brett produces publications sharing his knowledge and expertise. Brett is also a “Multi-Million Dollar Advocate”, Super Lawyers member, and serves as the Nevada Justice Association President who has also obtained multiple multi-million-dollar plaintiff's verdicts. Brett has recently been featured as one of “Las Vegas' Top Lawyers” by Real Vegas Magazine in 2019.
