Opinion ID: 1936466
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 17

Heading: Verdict for Dean

Text: Dean established that because of the collision, he has incurred $14,321.43 in medical expenses and property damage. He also presented evidence showing that his optic nerve was injured in the collision and that as a result, he has lost some of the peripheral vision in his left eye. Most of his evidence on damages, however, focused on his bladder condition. Dean presented reliable evidence establishing that because of the collision, his bladder will never function properly and that he will be forced to self-catheterize for the rest of his life. To self-catheterize, he uses a sterile catheter tube that is about 20 inches long and one-quarter inch in diameter. The end of the catheter is lubricated; Dean inserts the tube into his penis and pushes it up until the tube reaches his bladder. The motion is slow and causes pain which Dean compared to rubbing an open sore. He generally self-catheterizes three to four times per day. In addition to testifying about the pain that self-catheterization causes him, Dean also presented evidence showing the risks and financial costs that he will incur because of his condition. Self-catheterization presents a significant risk of infection; to reduce the risk, Dean generally uses a new catheter each time that he self-catheterizes. When he first started self-catheterizing, a catheter cost $2.50; the current price is $4.30. Further, the risk of infection has interfered with Dean's business. He and his son own a company that cleans drains. Because by its nature the business is unsanitary, Dean goes home so that he can clean up before self-catheterizing. The appellants characterize Dean's bladder condition as an inconvenience and argue that the jury's award was excessive in light of [the] actual impact [Dean's] injuries have had on his life. Brief for appellants at 34. But on appeal, we give the fact finder's determination of damages great deference. Brandon v. County of Richardson, 264 Neb. 1020, 653 N.W.2d 829 (2002). An award of damages may be set aside as excessive or inadequate when, and not unless, it is so excessive as to be the result of passion, prejudice, mistake, or some other means not apparent in the record. Norman v. Ogallala Pub. Sch. Dist., 259 Neb. 184, 609 N.W.2d 338 (2000). A reasonable jury could have concluded that Dean's bladder condition is a significant disability which will force him to live with pain and to incur substantial costs for the remainder of his life. Accordingly, the jury's award for Dean was not the result of passion, prejudice, mistake, or some other means not apparent in the record.