Opinion ID: 2085573
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Award to Gertrude Girtz.

Text: Appellant claims that the record does not contain sufficient evidence to sustain the jury award of $14,917 to Gertrude Girtz for her injuries sustained as a result of the accident. It contends that the verdict is excessive and that appellant should be granted the option of remitting the excess over and above such sum as we deem reasonable or of having a new trial on the issue of damages. It claims $10,000 is a reasonable sum. The record shows substantial evidence which supports the jury award of $14,917. Mrs. Girtz; fifty-five years of age, was thrown from the pickup and was rendered unconscious. When she became conscious she was lying in front of the dual wheels of the semi. She was rushed to St. Mary's Ringling Hospital, Baraboo, Wisconsin, where she was given emergency treatment by Dr. John Siebert. The testimony of Dr. Siebert is exhaustive in regard to the amount of injuries and pain and suffering experienced by Mrs. Girtz. It is necessary only to recount he stated that she suffered from lacerations, contusions, and abrasions on the exterior of the body. X rays showed that she had fractured two ribs which caused hemothorax, the pouring of blood into the pleural cavity impairing respiration. Severe pain accompanied this injury. X rays also showed that the first and second lumber segments of her spine were crushed or compressed. There was a great compression of the middle thoracic segment. Dr. E. J. Nordby, an orthopedic surgeon, testified that these X rays  also showed that her eleventh and twelfth dorsal vertebrae were slightly crushed. He stated that there was marked tenderness of the spinal muscles and increased muscle tone. Dr. Siebert stated that when Mrs. Girtz was first admitted she was suffering from shock and was in extreme pain. She was in severe pain for about two weeks and required heavy sedation. Mrs. Girtz remained in the hospital about a month and left when she became ambulatory, although she wore a back-support brace. Dr. Nordby began to treat Mrs. Girtz about a year after she left the hospital. Her ailments were still pain in upper back, right buttocks, walking with pain, and numbness in her right leg. Her right thumb felt numb from a strain suffered in the accident. She also had noticeable backward curvature of the upper back. At the trial, about four years after the accident, Dr. Nordby stated that her permanent disabilities are a decrease in endurance and power of her back, an increase in discomfort due to the injuries sustained to her back, and discomfort to her right thumb. In view of the extent of her injuries, the severe pain and suffering accompanying them, and her permanent disabilities as shown by the extensive testimony, the award of $14,917 is well substantiated by evidence in the record relating to compensation for her injuries.