What was supposed to be another quiet, typical autumn morning in Atlanta, Georgia, turned into a near-death experience for Audrey Carson. Two public service vehicles – a school bus and a waste management truck – traveled southwest along Metropolitan Parkway. The bus prepared to make a right turn where Audrey stopped at a cross street in her 1998 Toyota Avalon. Suddenly, the garbage truck rear-ended the bus, causing it to overturn onto Audrey. Her car’s roof collapsed past the headrest. Miraculously, Audrey not only survived, but she also walked out of the wreckage. However, she sustained significant head, neck, and back injuries. When her attorney attempted to explain the succession of events and argue who was liable, he found the only way to convey the truth was with an accident reconstruction animation.
Audrey went to a hospital where diagnostic imagery of her brain showed no evidence of hemorrhages. However, after being discharged, Audrey faced a whirlwind of symptoms that uprooted her life. Three years after the crash, Audrey’s superficial injuries healed, but she still suffered from PTSD and chronic pain syndrome. In addition, she struggled with daily headaches, emotional outbursts, tinnitus, and episodic disorientation.
Both the City of Atlanta, responsible for the school bus, and the waste management company vehemently denied liability for Audrey’s damages. The city’s attorneys shared surveillance footage from the bus’s cabin capturing the truck making a last-minute lane change. However, the trucking company contested that the bus took too wide of a right turn, crossed into its lane, and caused the accident. Ultimately, both parties retained accident reconstructionists who rigorously outlined how the other party was responsible.
Meanwhile, Michael Braun of The Law Office of Michael R. Braun joined Audrey’s counsel after her initial attorney needed further expertise handling the complex litigation. The City of Atlanta agreed to settle Michael’s claim, leaving him to focus on attaining compensation from the waste management company. As he prepared for mediation, he found it difficult to illustrate how the accident happened. Therefore, he called on DK Global to recreate the incident using the opposing experts’ testimonies and the bus’s surveillance footage.
The animation began with the school bus driving southwest in the far-right lane with the truck following. Suddenly, the truck made an erratic maneuver into the right lane and struck the school bus. The bus tipped over onto Audrey’s vehicle before rebounding onto all four wheels. Next, the incident replayed from Audrey’s perspective: terror ensued as the large bus loomed over her before violently crushing the roof over her car. Finally, to convey the gravity of Audrey’s damages, the animation culminated with photos of the aftermath and a slide listing her multitude of cognitive deficits.
With the animation showing both Defendants liable for the accident, Michael secured Audrey a confidential settlement from the trucking company during mediation conducted via Zoom.
For over 20 years, Michael Braun has tried hundreds of cases, representing the survivors of personal injury matters. Michael is a certified “Civil Trial Lawyer” through the National Board of Trial Advocacy, is “AV Preeminent Rated” by Martindale-Hubbell, and has been selected by his peers as a “Super Lawyer” for seven consecutive years. Outside of the courtroom, Michael prides himself on being a guest lecturer, sharing his expertise with attorneys on the topic of trials and depositions.
