Source: https://www.seveydonahuetalcott.com/verdicts-and-settlements/
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 23:29:40+00:00

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We have handled over 6,000 cases. Cases can range from the minor automobile accident to the significant brain injury and wrongful death cases. Each case is unique. Our experience and knowledge gained over the years now places us in a valuable position to help our clients.
Without a lawyer to help you, it is difficult for you to place a value on your case. You may have been told that you suffered only minor injuries when, in reality, you have suffered serious injuries and you are entitled to greater insurance benefits than you realize. This is the area where we can prevail.
$14,500,000 Verdict: DeNoon v. Farmers. Insurance Bad Faith. This claim was for wrongful denial of coverage and benefits to its insured. This case was tried in El Dorado County Superior Court before a jury. The matter was handled by Matt Donahue and his partner Rich Caulfield. Farmers offered $50,000.00 to settle prior to trial.
$2,500,000 Settlement: Truck/Big Rig Injury Accident. This case involved allegations against a trucking company for negligently changing lanes and colliding into my client’s vehicle. The vehicle overturned and my client suffered head injuries. The matter settled on the first day of trial. The defendants increased their offer from $900,000 to $2,500,000.
$2,500,000 Settlement: Bicycle v. Auto Injury. Our client was hit while riding his bicycle. He is a Dentist who suffered significant injuries to his body. He has recovered well and has returned to practicing dentistry.
$2,250,000 Settlement: Wrongful Death Action. Our client’s husband was killed when he swerved on the freeway to avoid a ladder that fell out of the back of defendant’s pickup truck. Defendant denied the ladder was his, or that it came out of his truck. Our investigator was able to trace the ladder to the defendant, who had fled the scene. Defendant claimed the ladder was stolen on the morning of the accident. Defendant later admitted he lied, and that the ladder did come out of his truck.
$1,500,000 Settlement: Mild Brain Injury – Our client worked for an asphalt oil company in Ophir, California. He was sent to a refinery in the Elk Grove area to fill up two tankers. After filling the first tank he went to fill the second. He was required to walk on a one story loading dock, put down a walkway to the top of his tanker, and climb onto the tank to reach for a chain to pull the hose over to his tank. During the dangerous task he was pulled off the tanker falling 12 feet and landing on his head. Our client suffered a mild brain injury and a low back injury. We hired several experts, an accident reconstruction expert, an OSHA expert, a vocational expert and an economist. Our client was unable to return to his job. The defense argued he was comparatively at fault. Ultimately, the case settled for $1,500,000.
$1,350,000 Settlement: Brain Injury. A Kelly hose (gas well machine) with 3500 lbs. of pressure came loose and hit our client in the head. Our client suffered a significant skull fracture with resulting brain injury. His injuries include brain damage, loss of hearing, bilateral tinnitus, floaters in the eyes, facial and head scars. Our client was examined by many doctors, including a neurologist, neurosurgeon, neuropsychologist, and ear nose and throat doctor. We retained a Vocational Rehabilitation expert and Economist to evaluate past and future wage loss.
$1,250,000 Settlement: Martinez v. Doe. Our client, age 37, was hit head on while driving on the highway at 5:00 am. Our client was in a semi-truck and trailer and the defendant was in a small sedan. The impact caused our client’s vehicle to lose steering and forced him into the oncoming lane causing another head on collision and then a collision with a cement retaining wall. Our client suffered a cervical disc extrusion at C5/6 and he eventually underwent a 2-level cervical fusion. Because he was working at the time his surgery was performed by a workers compensation orthopedic surgeon. Our attorney met with the surgeon on several occasions, however the surgeon would not say he would suffer lost income in the future nor would he agree with a radiologist that the fusion had failed. Our office sent the client to see a top neurosurgeon in the area for a second opinion. A new MRI and CT were performed. We hired a Neuroradiologist to review the films. The result was that our client in fact suffered a failed fusion and required a second 3-level fusion to correct the problem. The case settled for the policy limits of $1,250,000.
$1,000,000 Settlement: Truck v. Automobile Injury Accident. Our client was a truck driver who was rear ended. He underwent a one-level cervical fusion. He worked for two years following the accident until he was no longer able to perform his job duties.
$1,000,000 Settlement: Pedestrian v. Automobile Injury Accident. Our clients were young students and parents. They were injured when a driver of a vehicle hit them while walking in a school zone. Defendant driver had no insurance. We filed a claim against the facility who housed the Defendant.
$900,000 Settlement: Karim v. Doe: Our client, age 42, worked as an electrical engineer putting cable into commercial buildings. He was t-boned when the defendant ran a red light. Our client suffered back and neck injuries. He underwent a one level artificial disc surgery on the neck and a sacroiliac fusion. One of the major problems with the case was that our client suffered from a congenital pars defect. When a CT was performed on the day of the accident it evidenced a bone spur on the foramina opening at L5/S1. Our client was asymptomatic before the accident however he was in constant pain from the accident on. After the sacroiliac fusion he did not get any relief. Eventually he underwent an epidural injection into the area of the bone spur and noticed immediate relief. The defense did a nice job showing the bone spur was not inflamed in the accident and argued therefore the need for low back surgery was not related. We argued the incident flared up the area around the bone spur requiring the need for low back surgery. We settled at mediation for $900,000. Our client underwent the back surgery after the settlement with success.
$875,000 Jury Verdict: Gonzales v. Dollar Center – Our client suffered an injury to his low back following an impact to his low back by a Dollar Center employee. Mr. Gonzales had surgery by Pasquale Montesano, M.D. to repair a herniated disc in his low back. Dollar Center denied all responsibility, and even denied that the individual causing the injury was an employee of Dollar Center. The offer prior to trial by Dollar Center’s attorney was $7,500.
$800,000 Settlement: Turner v. Doe – Our client, age 35, went over to visit some friends hanging out in a garage for some beer. The son of the homeowner decided it would be wise to break out two handguns and a rifle. Another friend who was there, who lived at home with his mother, decided to reenact a movie with one of the handguns. Thinking it was unloaded, he aimed it at our client’s hand as he was looking for his phone. He pulled the trigger and our client was shot through his right dominant hand. We hired an orthopedic surgeon who provided a report setting forth the needed surgeries and cost to fix our client’s hand. After suffering through two surgeries already, our client was in need of at least two more which would leave him with an unusable right hand. Our client worked as a laborer doing custom cement jobs. We hired a vocational expert and economist to estimate his future lost income. The case settled for the policy limits of $800,000.
$750,000 Settlement: Wrongful Death of an 84-year-old man – The victim in this case was Mr. Castro, an 84 year old man with stage four prostate cancer. Our clients were his heirs. Mr. Castro had fallen down in a parking lot. The defendant who was driving slowly did not see him on the ground and ran over both of his legs. Mr. Castro was eventually placed in an elderly home and passed due to his injuries within five months. Unknown to us and Mr. Castro, he was also suffering from advanced metastasized prostate cancer. We hired a Urologist to estimate his life expectancy if he were to seek treatment. The timeframe was limited to four years. We settled at mediation for $750,000.
$650,000 Settlement: Trucking accident. Our client was driving a 63,000 pound Kershaw crane truck up a grade at 10-15 mph with his flashers activated. Defendant was driving a large commercial 18 wheeler semi-truck loaded with sodas and vending machine products. Defendant collided into the rear of my client’s truck at approximately 55 mph. Our client suffered bilateral loss of vision; bilateral tinnitus (ringing in ears); cognitive deficits (minor brain injury); L5 radiculopathy (low back pain radiating down leg); and right shoulder impingement syndrome. Our client was forced to be placed on full disability and unable to work. We retained various experts to prove liability and explain the injuries sustained. A vocational rehabilitation expert was retained to help our client obtain some type of gainful employment. The difficulty with the case was that our client suffered from a pre-existing rare disorder known as PXE. There is some literature evidencing loss of peripheral vision caused by this disease. We settled this case for $650,000.
$600,000 Settlement: Automobile Injury Accident. Our client, age 36, was driving a Lexus sedan and was rear ended by another vehicle. Our client’s car sustained $7,000 in property damage, and she suffered injury to her neck. Our client underwent an MRI which revealed nothing. Her symptoms persisted, and she was sent for a cervical discogram. A discogram helps diagnose discogenic pain and annular tears. The results evidenced a significant problem. Without the discogram our client would have never been properly diagnosed and her case would have been worth significantly less money. Our client subsequently underwent surgery. Because of the progressive nature and potential for future neck problems we were able to obtain medical testimony evidencing that our client’s work life would be reduced by 10 years. At the time of the accident, our client earned $70,000 per year and had not missed much work. Our Client works for the State of California in a desk position. However, using the medical testimony we were able to resolve her case for $600,000. Thinking ahead and outside the box sometimes opens doors to damages that other lawyers may never think about. Most lawyers do not realize that surgery is usually a temporary fix to a problem. Neck pain will return at some point and it will affect the client’s ability in the future to work.
$400,000 Settlement: Automobile Injury Accident. Our client, age 42, was driving a large Dodge pickup truck and was rear ended by another truck. An MRI and discogram revealed injury to four levels of her neck. The neurosurgeon agreed that it was extremely rare to have four levels affected. It is as if you bend a coat hanger, you only expect it to bend in one spot. A repeat discogram was performed, and this time it revealed only a problem at one level. Our client was told she needed surgery and she declined. Her wage loss was minimal, however we argued for loss of future income based upon reduced work life. Her case was resolved for $400,000.
$400,000 Settlement: Pedestrian v. Vehicle Injury Accident. Our client was injured when a vehicle rolled back hitting him on the head and knocking him on his back. The driver had exited the vehicle and forgot to engage her brakes. Our client was picking up the recycling bins at the edge of the sidewalk and never noticed the vehicle until he was struck. This occurred in front of defendant’s home. Our client underwent a discogram which revealed annular tears at L4-5. The doctor recommended surgery; however, the client refused. Our client changed jobs and became a jeweler. His income was significantly reduced, and he was left with no health insurance. We retained an economist and resolved the case for $400,000. The client now owns his own jewelry store, and is now able to afford health insurance.
$300,000 Settlement: Bicycle v. Automobile Injury Accident. Our client was hit at approximately 5:30 am while riding his bicycle. Proving liability was difficult as our client did not have a headlight on his bicycle, and he was not wearing a helmet. The impact was slight; however, it was forceful enough to cause our client to hit his head. Our client suffered from headaches and memory problems. He was seen by numerous doctors and underwent neuro-psychological testing. Due to the issues of liability and differing testimony from the doctors, we resolved the case for $300,000. Our client was happy and is doing much better now.
$300,000 Settlement: Our client was injured while working for the Railroad. The client tried to open a 70 lb metal door to a signal box. The door hinges were rusted, and the door fell off into his hands and injured his low back. The client did not seek medical attention for almost one year. This obviously made our job difficult. Eventually he was seen by an orthopedist and was diagnosed with low back problems. We met with the doctor and showed the doctor a job description. The doctor opined the back injury was related to the metal door incident one year prior. We retained an economist and vocational rehabilitation expert and were able to settle the case for $300,000. This was a good result, since the client had been very active the prior year with work and deer hunting. We were concerned with the gap in treatment. However, after meeting with his doctor, we were able to persuade the defense to pay a significant amount.

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