Opinion ID: 1314955
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Deborah Benzil

Text: Dr. Deborah Benzil, the Director of Neurotrauma at the Westchester County Medical Center, was the neurosurgeon on call who examined and treated Teodorovic. At trial, she testified about the injuries she observed and the treatment Teodorovic received. Further, as an expert in the fields of neurosurgery and neurotrauma, she provided testimony concerning the nature and extent of Teodorovic's injuries, the cause of those injuries, and the degree of force necessary to cause similar injuries. According to Benzil, Teodorovic suffered extensive external and internal injuries to his face and head. This included extensive bruising behind the left eye and on the right cheek, abrasions and lacerations on Teodorovic's head, blood in his right ear, extensive swelling on both sides of the back of his head, and multiple fractures in several areas. With respect to causation, Benzil testified that Teodorovic's injuries could not have been sustained from a single fall to the ground. Rather, she opined that Teodorovic's head injuries resulted from multiple blows, at least some of which required the application of significant force. In support, Benzil explained that the diffuse nature of the injuries indicated that Teodorovic suffered separate and independent blows to multiple sides of his face and head. Benzil also explained that it was unlikely Teodorovic's injuries were caused by a single blow because, when people fall to the ground, they're not going to have the head hit first instinctively to protect it from being struck. Finally, Benzil testified about the degree of force necessary to cause injuries similar to Teodorovic's. She explained that the amount of force for each of Teodorovic's independent injuries varied. For instance, the force needed to break a facial bone was more than that needed to cause external swelling at the back of the head. The force needed to break the bones deep within Teodorovic's skull was very significant and similar to that resulting from being catapulted off a motorcycle, striking a windshield at a significant speed, or being assaulted with a heavy object multiple times. [3]