In oil-rich west Texas, a commercial pickup truck slammed into a motorcyclist, changing his life forever. The truck driver made a careless left turn directly into the oncoming path of a motorcycle. The victim was a hard-working man in his mid-fifties. Like any of his coworkers on the oil patch, he was enjoying his well-earned day off with a ride on his motorcycle. The victim knew immediately that he would need help getting justice and compensation for his injuries and called attorney Dean Boyd from his hospital bed.
As Dean prepared the case, he noted that one of the most challenging obstacles in this case was the venue. In rural west Texas, juries are extraordinarily conservative with Plaintiff’s judgments. They’re seldom rewarded at all, and when they are, the judgments are far lower than they would be in other venues.
Another difficulty in the case was how numerous and severe the victim’s injuries were, as well as the enormously complex medical interventions that followed. It was especially tough for Dean to communicate with the Defense about the scope of his client’s medical trauma. No one on the other side seemed interested in the thousands of pages of medical records. Dean needed to find a way to clearly, concisely, and persuasively convey the devastation that resulted from that careless left turn.
Dean’s case strategy was simple: show and tell. He knew that once people understood the magnitude of his client’s injuries and subsequent physical and mental trauma, no one could brush off his claim. He knew from years of experience as an insurance adjuster and as an attorney that words from medical records are boring and hard for people to understand. So he turned to DK Global for an animation that was accurate and easy for anyone to grasp.
DK Global translated dry medical terminology into a visual presentation of the Plaintiff’s injuries that was accurate enough to be admissible in court and clear enough to be understood by the mediator, the other side, as well as a judge and jury should the case go to trial.
The illustration began with a 3D rendering of the Plaintiff’s body, walking through each of his injuries step-by-step. Starting with road rash that went deep enough to expose bones on his knees, it transitioned to cringeworthy dislocations in his knees, elbow, and pelvic area, leading to fractures and breaks that showed the extent of his broken body. As if the pain and suffering from the initial injuries weren’t enough, the animation then walked through the medical fixatives that were performed: giant screws and metal plates drilled through the client’s bones over the course of multiple surgeries. X-rays were overlaid in key moments to drive home the medical accuracy.
Dean suspected that the Defense did not review the animation prior to the mediation, but the mediator did. He told Dean that he had never seen anything like the client’s injuries. The animation had done its job. The Defense offered a settlement of $2M, which Dean and his client accepted. In such a notoriously difficult venue, this settlement was a relief for the Plaintiff.
Dean Boyd has been an attorney for 32 years, licensed in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. As an insurance adjuster before going to law school, that experience that impressed upon him the importance of visuals. He knew from personal experience that adjusters are won over by compelling illustrations of injuries. A Fellowship Member of the Texas Trial Lawyers’ Association, Dean’s commitment to his clients and his insider knowledge make him a tireless, effective advocate.
